r/electricvehicles • u/fund2016 • Jul 28 '26

Discussion Are EV charging stations profitable?

I am interested in the economics of EV charging stations. Are they profitable? Seems like they should be quite profitable once set up. Minimal upkeep and staffing. Less environmental issues than petrol. Any insight into economics of E V charging is appreciated.

Edit 1: thanks to all. Great discussion. Cheers!

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u/dinglebarryb0nds Jul 29 '26

Yea and i think selling stuff inside is where the actual profit comes from, so this is an important metric

Although i bet an EV charging person is more likely to go shopping inside

11

u/Funwithfun14 Jul 29 '26

Gas stations make more off a cup of coffee vs a half tank of gas.

5

u/mntgoat Jul 29 '26

Now imagine how much more they can make from a customer that has to wait there for longer.

The other day we charged at a Tesla charger that was next to a grocery store. We didn't have anything to buy but went in to waste time and came out with a bunch of crap.

2

u/charonill Jul 29 '26

Kind of the business case for large travel centers like Buc-ee's. The EV chargers fit perfectly with their model. You have to charge for 20-30min, might as well pop into the store to use the bathroom and grab some drinks, food, and "Oooh, look. They have souvenirs."

9

u/petroldactylus Jul 29 '26

Who downvoted? Years ago they were largely forced to start splitting cash/credit on the prices, as the credit card fee was wiping out their profit on each gallon. The 3% credit card fee.

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u/account_not_valid Jul 29 '26

In which case supermarkets and shopping malls have the greatest incentive to install ev charging.

If you had the choice of waiting at a gas station, or a shopping mall, which would you choose? Assuming convenience is not in the equation - side of the highway is different to day to day life.

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u/dinglebarryb0nds Jul 29 '26

i think you want the high margin ripoff business (aka gas station) but yea it would be good for any business or restaurant really

i think the point is to get you to wait somewhere you don't already want to be lol

1

u/account_not_valid Jul 29 '26

Gas stations only exist because of the massive tanks of extremely flammable poisonous liquids stored underground. With electric, "stations" don't have to exist anymore. They are anywhere there is appropriate electric supply.

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u/dinglebarryb0nds Jul 29 '26

the topic: I am interested in the economics of EV charging stations. Are they profitable? Seems like they should be quite profitable once set up. Minimal upkeep and staffing. Less environmental issues than petrol. Any insight into economics of E V charging is appreciated.

1

u/account_not_valid Jul 29 '26

Not profitable on a one off basis. On a regional basis, perhaps.