New research from chargepoint operator (CPO) ChargeGuru has found that only a small minority of property managers are planning to install EV chargers at their residental properties by the end of this year.
Only 2% of property, asset and portfolio managers and freeholders plan to install EV charging facilities at their sites, despite home charger access posing one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption. Additionally, the research found that many property and asset managers are effectively procrastinating efforts to plan installing EV chargers at their properties as they vastly underestimate the amount of time such EV charger installations will take.
A total of 71% of those asset managers surveyed believe that the planning, installation and activation of EV chargers takes a maximum of three months in a typical scenario; in reality, the process of obtaining connection consent from distribution network operators (DNOs), conducting onsite assessments, checking grid capacity and scheduling contractors typically takes well in excess of three months.
Cost was cited as the primary reason why property managers are not installing EV chargers at their sites, with 53% citing this as their biggest barrier to installation. However, ChargeGuru notes that this figure has declined each year that they have undertaken this survey.
Denis Watling, managing director of ChargeGuru UK noted that while consumers are increasingly ready to switch to EVs, a lack of access to home charging, particularly in flats and apartment blocks, is “creating a nationwide discrepancy” in the accessibility of EVs.
Watling added: “Many freeholders and property managers are inadvertently underestimating the time taken to install charging solutions, coupled with an unawareness of the pace of EV adoption. There is a reluctance to invest in EV charging infrastructure today.”
Lack of access to charging facilities for residents of flats has been an increasing point of contention in recent years, and one that some companies are developing new solutions to. Last month, EV charging provider Cosmic Charging announced the successful completion of a project at an upscale apartment building in Leith, Scotland, where it equipped 319 parking bays with power supplies, allowing residents to install their own EV chargers for personal use if and when they switch to an EV.
Our publisher, Solar Media, will soon launch a brand-new site dedicated to global EV charging infrastructure developments. Called EV Infrastructure News, the site will track market trends, technological breakthroughs and project developments from around the globe. Please visit and follow the official LinkedIn page to learn more.
