No pain, no gain, as the saying goes – but only the most thick-skinned would sleep well while running a company that provides public EV chargers.
Yes, there’s huge business potential ahead. The switch to 100% electrified car sales in 2030 and the gradual phasing out of ICE cars thereafter promises good profits. But right now, the industry is in transition, the multitude of start-ups having to grow up or be bought up; and the bigger players coming in facing frustrated users with high expectations and a united body of car makers applying pressure for better service.
Getting a balanced view is hard. The SMMT recently highlighted that the number of public chargers available per vehicle fell from 16 to 11 between 2019 and 2020 and that only one new charger is being installed for every 52 plug-in vehicles bought.
