Question 1

1. Do EV charger reservations actually reduce wait times?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but only where demand genuinely exceeds supply — a Sioux Falls network simulation found a reservation-based scheme cut total EV queuing time by more than 70%. The gain disappears, and can reverse, without a strict no-show enforcement policy behind it.

Question 2

2. What's a reasonable no-show fee for a reserved EV charging slot?

Accepted Answer

A per-minute idle charge tied to site occupancy works better than a flat fee. Tesla's Supercharger idle fee — $0.50/minute past 50% occupancy, $1/minute at full capacity, waived if moved within 5 minutes — is a proven template CPOs can adapt for reservation no-shows.

Question 3

3. Should retail and mall EV chargers ever be reservable?

Accepted Answer

Rarely as a default. A Hamburg field study found reservation-enabled stalls delivered roughly a third the daily sessions and energy of comparable open-access stalls. If a retail site wants the option, cap it at a small share of bays and only activate it for known high-demand events.

Question 4

4. How do fleet depots differ from public charging on reservations?

Accepted Answer

A depot already knows a vehicle's return time, state of charge and next dispatch — so the reservation is a plan, not a guess. That removes almost all of the no-show and fairness risk that makes public reservations hard, which is why fleet charging is the cleanest case for a hard reservation model.

Question 5

5. Can a CPO run both reservable and walk-up chargers at the same site?

Accepted Answer

Yes — this hybrid split is what most sites should run. Cap reservable bays at roughly 30–40% of the site, price the booking separately from the charging session, and set a short 10–15 minute grace window before an unclaimed reservation reverts to the walk-up queue.

fleet depot charging

EV Charger Reservation Pros And Cons: A CPO’s Playbook