There are almost 64,000 public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations installed globally, according to a new report from Navigant Research.
As the number of publicly accessible charging stations increased, the market for plug-in EVs has also expanded.
However, the report finds that the large public investments for electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) infrastructure that characterized industry growth in North America and Western Europe over the past 3 years are beginning to slow.
“As public investments in charging infrastructure wane, the numerous companies that emerged in the market’s early stages and championed various technologies and business models are now beginning to consolidate and standardize,” says Scott Shepard, research analyst with Navigant Research.
“While investment in EV charging equipment technology has been significant during the past few years, the private sector now needs to focus on financing infrastructure deployments in order for the market to continue to grow rapidly,” Navigant said.
AC charging installations account for a vast majority of public charging station installations worldwide.
AC charging, which is used in both residential and commercial applications, typically supplies capacities of up to 7.2 kilowatts (kW) and, in rare cases, up to 43 kW. DC installations, which are typically used in commercial applications, supply from 20 kW to 50 kW, although some manufacturers have introduced units with power ratings of up to 100 kW.