As the development of electric vehicles, governments encourage entrepreneurs to
invest and construct EV Charger station .Before investment , It is necessary to
understand the explicit and implicit cost of commercial EV charging stations. There
is there type of ev charger : level 1 , level 2 ,level 3 . People always use level 3 for
commercial , and sometimes use level 2 . Level 1 almost not use for commercial.
Therefore let’s analyze the cost of level 2and level 3 ev charger as Commercial .
Explicit & Implicit Cost
1.Implicit Cost is not directly billed & always to be ignored ,it is hard to measure.
(1)Opportunity Cost . It’s a potential revenue which generates by investment for
alternative purposes.
(2)Downtime Cost. It’s lost revenue during the period of installation and maintenance.
(3)Outdated technological . As rapid development of charging technology, the
equipment possible become outdated and need update the technology.
2.Explicit Cost is direct expense which includes purchase cost, installation cost,
operation cost & electricity cost.They are easy to quantifiable.
Different country different standard different cost ,take USA as example .
(1)Purchasing Cost (there is big different between different power & brand)
Level 2 Charger: $500 to $3,000 /pc. It is faster, the charging speed is 12-80
miles/ hour.
Level 3 Charger: $5,000 – $50,000/pc, It charge the fastest with charging
60-100 miles in about 20 minutes.
(2)Installation Cost
Level 2 charger :about $500 – $1,500.
Level 3: $10,000 – $20,000 for extensive electrical upgrades or construction.
(3)Operational Costs
Electricity Cost: Typically $0.1 to $0.15 per kWh.
Level 2: $200 – $500 annually. If the ev charger is 22kw , the electricity cost for
charging is approximately $2.64 – $3.33/h.
Level 3 :above $3,500annually .Output power is usually between 50 kw – 350 kw.
Take 50 kw as example, the electricity cost for charging is about $6 -$7.50/h.
(4)Government Incentives
Federal Incentives: Up to 30% of installation cost, capped at $30,000.Diffrent
state,The incentive is vary .In order to get accurate subsidy information,
recommended to consult directly with your state’s energy office or government
department that specializes in handling such subsidies.
| Cost Type | Level 2 Charger | Level 3 Charger |
| Purchasing Cost | $500 – $3,000 | $5,000 – $50,000 |
| Installation Cost | $500 – $1,500 | $10,000 – $20,000 |
| Operation Cost | $200 – $500 | above $3,500 |
| Total Cost (First Year) | $1,200 – $5,000 | above $18,500 |
Conclusion
Before choose commercial ev charger , please consider :Evaluate the expected
traffic and charging needs.If no economy limited ,for high traffic and charging
needs ,recommend level 3 ev charging . If low traffic and charging need ,
recommend level 2 charging .
