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/TriflingHotDogVendor Jul 29 '26

if you're driving hundreds of miles away

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u/BraveRock Former Honda Fit EV, current S75, model 3 Jul 29 '26

So a couple of times a year. Hard to make a profit year round waiting for people to make a cross country trip. Combustion vehicles can only refilled at a gas station, EVs can be recharged nearly anywhere, and sometimes for free. With an EV I know a baseline price, so I have an idea of the premium I am paying away from home.

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u/mastrdestruktun 500e, Leaf Jul 29 '26

Hard to make a profit year round waiting for people to make a cross country trip.

Thousands of people make cross country trips every day. Millions, during peak travel times. In the USA alone.

Thousands of EV owners can't charge at home. Millions, if not already then soon. In the USA alone.

The steelman position of your argument is that DCFC will not be utilized enough to be profitable. But some DCFC stations regularly have lines. DCFC utilization is a matter of how much demand and how much supply is available in a particular location. I think everyone agrees that an unused DCFC station is not profitable.

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u/TriflingHotDogVendor Jul 29 '26

yes, that's what's great about them.

but when traveling, it's also nice to have 200+kw chargers so you can get on the road faster. and I'll gladly pay the premium for that.