Infrastructure-Key for EVs

As Electronic Vehicles (EVs) like the newly awarded Nissan LEAF and the Chevy Volt continuously gain popularity for the sustainable electronic vehicle cause, there is still an undeniable anxiety looming over the heads of the general public regarding the efficiency and the development of the EV industry. Most of the public's worries on the growth of the EV industry are on the availability and accessibility of charging stations and EVSE (Electronic Vehicle Supply Equipments) in the market.

True enough, the future of the EV Infrastructure or the charging stations for electronic and hybrid vehicles is still very difficult to predict mainly because it is something new and we have no existing records on it. Thus, even with the millions of investments that the state has allocated for the development of EVSE infrastructures, if the state were to see to the growth of the EV industry, there should also be outside investment to back up the cause.

Here is where the main problem lies, though: There are already a number of local and state companies and organizations willing to fund EVSE infrastructures, but there is a chance that these infrastructures may not earn enough money to sustain themselves because of the very limited study on the demand demographics for actual EV users. Even with the right initiative and intention in helping the promotion of the utilization of electronic vehicles, these local small-time EVSE owners may still fail in the business side of things.

There is also an unfair advantage over very large companies investing on the EVSE infrastructures and the small-time players that would not be able to engage into fair competition with the bigger rivals. Thus, if this trend continues, there might be a possible big player domination on the EVSE industry, with the smaller players being forced to close down their infrastructures because they earn so little to be able to decently compete with large companies.

It is, therefore, important to note that one of the keys in the successful promotion of EVs is the proper allocation of funds for EVSE infrastructures and the proper distribution of these infrastructures in various state locations where there is a greater population of EV users and where there is a greater demand for these charging stations.

And while this task of researching for demographical data and demands would seem easy, it is a far more difficult task in reality. To be able to find the right places in which these infrastructures should be built, there should first be a research done on which places have the highest population percentage that utilizes electronic cars, and how much charging time do these users need for their EVs at a specific price rate.

In this study, it is also important to take into consideration the possible trends and needs that these users might demand like fast rate charging stations. It is also important to look into the prospect buyers of EVs and the possibility of them actually purchasing one. Through this, we would be able to tell how much EVSE infrastructures are going to be needed in the near future.

The situation between the EVs and the EVSE infrastructures is quite a tricky one. While people would only agree to buy EVs if there is available and accessible EVSEs to them, investors on EVSE infrastructures are quite doubtful in setting up these charging stations without the sure knowledge of them being utilized.