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The Profitability Formula | Electric Era
Retail EV fast charging station in Mt. Shasta, CA.

The profitability formula

See the math behind EV fast charging profitability

Basic site economics:

Revenue
Charging revenueiThis is the main driver of revenue, and the single biggest lever in the model.
Retail price × kWh delivered
In-store revenueiAdditional in-store spend driven by the in-store conversion rate: the share of charging customers who also make a purchase. Even a modest lift compounds across thousands of sessions.
LCFS creditsiLow Carbon Fuel Standard credits, generated in states with an active program (e.g. California, Oregon, Washington) based on electricity dispensed. A real, ongoing revenue stream, not a one-time rebate.
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Capital cost
HardwareiThe cost of the charging station itself: cabinets, dispensers, battery, and power electronics.
Construction & designiSite work, electrical upgrades, permitting, and engineering to get the station installed and connected.
Grants & incentivesiFederal, state, or utility programs that offset upfront cost. Availability varies by location.
Tax creditiFederal or state EV charging tax credits applied directly against tax liability, distinct from an upfront grant.
Bonus depreciationiAccelerated depreciation lets you deduct a large share of the equipment cost in year one, a real tax-driven cash flow benefit even though it isn't a direct reduction to the sticker price.
−
Operating costs
Electricity costiWhat the station pays the utility per kWh. This varies significantly by distribution tariff, time of use, and location.
Demand chargesiA fee based on the single highest moment of power draw in a billing period. Battery storage smooths that peak.
Operations, maintenance, driver support, station softwareiDay-to-day costs to keep a station running: monitoring, cleaning, minor repairs, customer support.
Payment processingiCard network and processor fees on every transaction, typically a small percentage of each session's price.
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Net profit
Typical station utilization models
Modeled as three different RE400 site configurations, scaling with station size.
Station utilization data powered by: Paren
Choose your rollout:
4 port station
What you pay *
~$600K
owned outrightacross 5 sites
Station utilization
20
sessions / day, per site
Year 1 profit
$40K
net profit
Year 10 profit
$199K
net profit
How fast
14.4% IRR
6.2-year payback, per site
6 port station
What you pay *
~$750K
owned outrightacross 5 sites
Station utilization
35
sessions / day, per site
Year 1 profit
$98K
net profit
Year 10 profit
$376K
net profit
How fast
31.9% IRR
3.7-year payback, per site
12 port station
What you pay *
~$1.1M
owned outrightacross 5 sites
Station utilization
50
sessions / day, per site
Year 1 profit
$155K
net profit
Year 10 profit
$552K
net profit
How fast
46.5% IRR
2.6-year payback, per site
*All-in installed cost, not just Electric Era hardware and software.
Levers to increase net profit
  • In-store revenue driven by integrating the charging experience.
  • Optimized electricity costs and mitigated demand charges with on-site battery storage (BESS)
  • Minimized O&M with a reliable charging solution
The hardware to make it happen
Battery-backed reliability
98%+ guaranteed uptime. Self-healing tech, built by SpaceX engineers.
Built to be found
Live on Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Plugshare from day one. 96% positive rating.
Deployed in 6–12 months
Costco's Northport, FL site went live in 54 days.

Reliability and discoverability are what create a good driver experience, and a good experience is what brings drivers back. Deployment speed is what determines time to power: every month saved is a month of revenue collected sooner.

98%+
Per-port uptime
96%
Positive Plugshare rating
54
Days, fastest deployment
39%
Blended gross margin
What operators say
30%Traffic increase
20%Revenue uplift
Own & Operate

"Electric Era was able to beat utility upgrade timelines and activate ahead of schedule to collect revenue early and deliver significant demand charge reduction."

Jonathan Polonsky
Jonathan Polonsky
Chairman & CEO, Plaid Pantry
Read case study
100%Uptime
CCS & NACSCharging flexibility
Own & Operate

"They made this project really easy... We needed someone who could walk us through the installation and know that when they gave us recommendations, they had our best interest in mind."

Brandon Wagoner
Brandon Wagoner
Manager, Strategy Execution & Analytics, MTE
Read case study
50%Average usage
6 MonthDeployment
Own & Operate

"Electric Era made it easy to get our charging station up and running fast. Their technology and support have kept our uptime at 99% and session success at 92%, which means drivers trust our site and keep coming back."

Shawn Ward
Shawn Ward
Owner, QuikCharge
Read case study
67%Faster deployment
20%Reduced costs
Own & Operate

"The hardware solution is very good, but what convinced us to move forward was the Electric Era team. They are highly competent, motivated and all about getting things done correctly."

Johannes Copeland
Johannes Copeland
COO, Skycharger
Read case study
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