The past year has marked the transition of the plug-in electric vehicle into full commercialization. More than 135,000 plug-in electric vehicles will be sold globally in 2012, and growth is expected to continue at a steady pace.
The electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) market is naturally a product of the plug-in electric vehicle market, so the past year has seen a major uptick in EVSE deployments.
In 2012, there will be almost 45,000 public charging stations installed globally. Much of this will be the result of publicly funded infrastructure initiatives. In comparison to government targets for plug-in electric vehicles, however, sales have been disappointing, and the relatively slow pace of plug-in electric vehicle rollouts will act as a dampener on this market. With some exceptions, much of the private sector is waiting until plug-in electric vehicles are commonly seen on the roads in their areas before investing in charging infrastructure.
According to a new report from Pike Research, the electric vehicle supply equipment market will expand steadily, as well. Unit sales of electric vehicle supply equipment will rise from under 200,000 in 2012 to almost 2.4 million in 2020.
By 2020, the study concludes, 11.4 million EV charging stations will be in operation worldwide.
A key factor in the split between residential and commercial electric vehicle supply equipment sales is the percentage of plug-in electric vehicle owners who have access to home charging.
The report forecasts that the market for commercial charging equipment will grow at a faster rate than that for residential charging equipment.
According to the report, 2013 will be a critical year since the plug-in electric vehicle market will be transitioning from early adopters in regions such as North America, where consumers are more likely to have a secured parking spot in which to install a charger, to a broader base of consumers living in multi-family dwellings, leading to greater growth in the sales of commercial EVSE than in residential units.
[source: Pike Research]
