Retail spaces: one of the fastest growing EV charging opportunities

As the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on our roads continues to grow, the way people think about charging is changing. Elizabeth Warren, Director of Public Charging at Mer, talks about how new charging attitudes and habits have opened up a unique opportunity for retailers.

When people transition to an EV, they are often surprised by how different the process of charging is. With petrol or diesel cars (also known as internal combustion engine or ICE vehicles), most people drive until they’re low on fuel, spend 5 minutes filling up in a petrol station, and carry on.

But for electric cars, charging from empty can take a long time – even a fast charge can take 15 to 30 minutes to charge a car from 0-80%, depending on battery capacity and temperature. It’s why in practice; EV owners top up more regularly.

If you have space for a home charger, regular charging is easy – plug in when you arrive home, and you’re always ready with a full tank. But if you’re heading further afield or are staying away from home for a longer period of time, then you’ll need to use public charging alternatives.

We’ve become used to seeing EV charge points in public places: in car parks, at motorway services and, increasingly, at retail parks. Public charging has become an essential part of EV infrastructure, with most people using a charging station more than 10 times in a year. And in fact, we’re seeing a continual increase in the number of EV owners who only ever charge on the public network.

A massive opportunity for retail parks

We’re arguably still in the early stages of EV adoption – but the number of fully electric cars continues to grow. Nearly 1.5 million of the 34 million cars on the road today are EVs, and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) projects that by 2030 it will be 9 million.

Nearly half (49%) of all EV charging is currently destination charging: where we choose to charge at a public location while we take part in other activities. The demand for destination charging options will grow alongside EV usage, and this creates a real opportunity for retail land owners and operators.

EV charging hubs are not only revenue-generating by themselves, but also deliver an increase in customer footfall and spending within the retail park. When drivers are choosing a public charging location, our research shows that they are heavily influenced by the amenities available on site. Over 50% of EV drivers say they use charging time to visit a restaurant or café, and 46% say they use the time to shop or run errands.

It’s not just local people doing their weekly shop who use charging hubs at retail parks – they also provide a valuable service to longer distance travellers. Many people are increasingly choosing retail parks to break their journeys, swapping traditional motorway service stations (with a small number of food outlets) for a retail park with restaurants, shops and other activities.

In fact, retail parks that don’t have a charging hub are arguably at a disadvantage. Online shopping remains popular, and when customers do visit a physical store, they can be highly influenced by additional factors such as the ability to charge while they’re there. It’s similar to buy-one-get-one-free thinking.

And the availability of charging facilities can also influence retailers looking to open new locations. It can bring new partners into the park more quickly and reduce vacant times for units.

Charging hub: the essentials for retail land owners

Most retail parks are already designed around the car, sited in locations that are easy to access and with plenty of space for cars to park. It means you can usually install a charging hub without significant disruption.

But what are the other factors you need to consider if you want to install a charging hub at your retail site?

Chargers and speed of charge. The top factor in attracting people to a particular charging environment is the speed of charging that is available. A short dwell time will favour rapid chargers whilst an all-day or overnight car park may require fast chargers or a combination of both fast and rapid.

The number of charging bays. It’s important to install enough bays to meet demand, so people can reliably get a charging space, without there being so many that your resources are underutilised.

Highly reliable kit. We’ve all heard stories from EV drivers who’ve stopped at a location only to find the chargers out of order. This can quickly have a long-term impact on people’s habits – you need to deliver a consistently good experience to keep people coming back to your charging hub – and therefore your retail location.

User friendly equipment. Particularly if someone is travelling outside of their usual area, finding and accessing a new charging location can be stressful. Equipment should be easy to use and with clear instructions on the charger.

Good customer service. We all accept that, no matter how good your setup, sometimes people struggle – or things don’t work as planned. Your charging supplier needs to have a great customer service team so that customers can be happy with the support they receive.

Early buy-in drives consumer habit

In an increasingly complex and competitive retail environment, providing charging facilities at your retail site can bring you more customers, and as people wait for their cars to charge, you’ll see an increase in the time and money they spend with you.

If you don’t already offer EV charging, now is the time to invest. Consumers are quick to adopt habits, and slow to change them, so the earlier you become embedded in people’s routines, the greater the business value you can achieve. It’s important to make sure you are offering an excellent customer experience, not only in terms of the charging environment you provide, but also in customer support.

At Mer, our EV charging hubs provide a convenient way for electric vehicle drivers to charge. With retail parks already occupying strategic locations, we help land owners and managers to leverage a golden opportunity to generate incremental revenue. Download our Charging Hubs guide for more details.