A new report from Frost & Sullivan, Strategic Technology and Market Analysis of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in North America, forecasts that there will be approximately 4.1 EV charging stations by 2017.
The most common ones will be the level 1 charging stations, as every EV sold will have a level 1 charging cord included in the vehicle. Level 1 charging station can be plugged in a household socket which takes approximately 8 to 10 hours to charge the vehicle and does not involve any installation cost.
About 71 percent of the charging stations are expected to be level 1 followed by level 2, which will account for 27 percent of the market share by 2017. Nearly 87 percent of the EVs are expected to be charged in residential locations, as they will be parked in the garage for 10 to 12 hours in a day.
The charging infrastructure is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 128.12 percent, due to the currency of the ‘green’ concept and oil prices’ volatility. Attracted by its potential and low entry barriers, participants are emerging from multiple industries such as technology, vehicle manufacturers, and utilities.
“EVs are more expensive than conventional vehicles, therefore, federal government is granting customers as much as $7,500 in incentives to purchase an EV,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Associate Prajyot Sathe. “Incentives include discounts on the purchase of EVs, tax credits or exemption and other advantages such as usage of heavy occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and free parking.”
Even while offering substantial opportunities, the EV charging infrastructure market is plagued by issues typical to a nascent market. Participants are looking for solutions to ensure standardization of charging systems in vehicles, charging stations, and business models. EV owners are also inconvenienced by the low access to charging stations and the 8 to 10 hours needed to charge their vehicles at level 1.
However, continuous R&D will help overcome these challenges in the next two to three years. As the market is still evolving, participants are in the process of identifying the scope of development of technologies and economically viable business models.
