Separating EV Charging Providers From the Pack

Published by

Brittany Kaplan

November 14, 2024

The electric vehicle market is at an inflection point and electric mobility is accelerating faster than anyone predicted. For businesses this presents a tremendous opportunity to attract the growing wave of EV drivers by offering on-site charging, but it's an opportunity that comes with its share of complexity.

Installing EV charging stations is not a simple plug-and-play endeavor. There are critical decisions to be made and the provider you choose will have a major impact on the success of your EV charging program, your revenue, and your retailer brand, so it's important to do your due diligence.

So what sets an EV fast charging solutions provider apart in an increasingly crowded field? It all comes down to customer revenue and the quality of charging service. There are five important revenue levers that retailers should be aware of:

Speed to Market
Reliability
Electricity Costs
Brand and Loyalty Program
All-In-One Service

Speed to Market

The speed advantage is a game-changer. By activating your stations months or even years ahead of the competition, you can start capturing the EV charging demand sooner, building brand loyalty among EV drivers, and cementing your position as a charging destination. Our analysis shows that the early mover advantage can translate to over $170K in additional revenue over competitors in the first few years alone.

At Electric Era, we pride ourselves on industry-leading deployment times. Our streamlined process, deep installation partner network, and modular system design allow us to go from first contact to charge-ready in as little as 6−8 months. That's 3−4× faster than many of our competitors, some of whom can take up to 2 years to complete an installation.

"By partnering with Electric Era, we were able to get our fast chargers installed and operational in record time. This allowed us to start serving EV customers months before our competitors, giving us a real leg up in the market."

Shawn Ward
Co-founder of Quik Charge

Reliability

Of course, getting your stations installed quickly is only half the battle. If those stations aren't able to charge successfully, all the speed in the world won't matter. Uptime and reliability are both critical in EV charging - every minute your stations are down is a minute you're not serving customers and generating revenue. Uptime and reliability are distinct and equally important components of charging success and charging providers must achieve high marks in both! Most important, unreliability can damage your premium retailer brand affecting both in store revenues and driver loyalty.

That's why reliability is core to everything we do at Electric Era. Our PowerNode charging station is engineered for an industry-leading 99.5% uptime. That's a full 25 percentage points higher than some major competitors, translating to hundreds of additional hours of charge time annually. We achieve this reliability through a combination of advanced software, quality hardware, real-time monitoring, a 24/7 Network Operations Center and proactive service. The financial impact is huge - we estimate that the difference between 98% and 73% uptime can be over $1M in lost revenue over a 10−year period.

We're so confident in our system's performance that we offer uptime guarantees backed by financial recourse if we fall short. In an industry where many providers shy away from putting hard numbers behind their reliability claims, we stand behind ours.

"The reliability of Electric Era's charging system has been rock solid. Since we installed, we've had virtually no downtime. That's translated directly to more revenue for our business and less hassle."

Shawn Ward
Co-founder of Quik Charge

Electricity Costs

EV charging can be a profitable addition to your business, but only if you're able to control costs. One of the biggest cost drivers for EV charging sites is demand charges - the fees utilities impose based on a site's peak power draw. If not managed carefully, demand charges can quickly erode the profitability of your charging operations.

That's where Electric Era's intelligent energy management capabilities come in. Our PowerNode system uses advanced algorithms and battery storage onsite to minimize expensive peak demand events. By smartly orchestrating when vehicles charge and how much power they draw from the grid, we can reduce your demand charges by as much as 70%. Over a 10−year period, this can translate to over $500K in electricity cost savings compared to other providers.

Another key cost consideration is the need for electrical infrastructure upgrades. With Electric Era's innovative battery-backed design and patented software, we limit grid upgrades to your site's electrical service by using lower cost and easier to source pole mounted transformers as opposed to pad mounted which are much more expensive and take years to build.

Our station delivers up to 135 high power charging sessions per day with a smaller grid connection. This means faster, cheaper installation, lower electricity costs and more location flexibility for your retail location.

Brand and Loyalty Programs

Electric Era's brand extension capabilities offer a powerful way to engage customers and drive loyalty through your EV charging network. By integrating a loyalty program, you can reward customers for charging at your locations, encouraging repeat visits and building long-term relationships. This not only incentivizes EV adoption but also positions your brand as a leader in sustainability and customer care.

Furthermore, Electric Era's customizable user interface allows you to create a branded charging experience that seamlessly aligns with your company's identity. The 32" LCD screens on the chargers provide a dynamic platform for targeted advertisements, discounts, and promotions, enabling you to connect with EV drivers in a meaningful way while they charge. This level of customer interaction and discoverability sets your brand apart in the rapidly growing EV charging market, helping you attract and retain a dedicated customer base that values convenience, innovation, and environmental responsibility.

All-in-one Service

Deploying EV charging infrastructure involves a lot more than just installing the chargers themselves. There's site feasibility analysis, system design, permitting, construction, utility coordination, commissioning, and more. It's a complex process that requires deep expertise and close coordination across multiple stakeholders.

That's why Electric Era offers a true turnkey solution. Our solution begins with a thorough site feasibility analysis, where we assess your location's suitability for EV charging and identify any potential challenges or opportunities. From there, we move into system design, carefully planning the optimal layout and configuration of your charging infrastructure to maximize efficiency and user experience. We handle all the necessary permitting and coordination with local authorities to ensure your project is compliant and on track.

When it comes to construction, our experienced team manages every detail, from breaking ground to final installation. We work closely with utility providers to ensure your site has the necessary electrical capacity and infrastructure to support your charging stations. But our commitment to your success doesn't end there. We provide ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and optimization to keep your chargers performing at their best. Our advanced network operations center keeps a vigilant eye on your site 24/7, proactively identifying and resolving any issues that may arise. We use real-time data and analytics to continuously optimize your system's performance, maximizing uptime and energy efficiency.

"Electric Era has been an invaluable partner for us as we've grown our EV charging footprint. Their team is always proactively finding ways to improve our charging operations and bottom line."

Terry Weidemier
General Manager, Seven Feathers Truck and Travel Center

Ready to Deploy?

Electric Era can deploy stations in less than 24 weeks and looks forward to supporting you on your EV car refill journey from consideration, to completion, to charging. Reach out today if you are ready to see if now is the right time to start your EV journey.