Why does utilisation decide the business case?
The operator's controller reviews the DIY store charger: 25,000 EUR of fixed costs a year, for hardware, connection, site, software and service.
Last year it ran at 8% utilisation. The plan for this year is 12%.
The questionWhy does four percentage points of utilisation matter so much?
Computed with stated assumptions: 25,000 EUR fixed costs a year, 0.25 EUR per kWh for energy with grid fees and levies, a net price of 0.50 EUR per kWh. Below about 8% utilisation, every kWh costs more than it earns.
Fixed costs, spread thin or thick
The fixed costs are the same whether ten cars come or a hundred. At 5% they spread over about 65,700 kWh a year, at 15% over three times as much. Every extra session lowers the cost of every kWh. That is why operators watch utilisation more closely than any other number, and why prices fall where chargers are busy.
Utilisation grows with the fleet
Chargers are often built ahead of demand, so they start at low utilisation and fill up as the number of electric cars grows. In the EU, there were about 11 electric cars and vans per public charge point at the end of 2025, and about 3 kW of public charging capacity per electric car or van. Public charging points in Europe grew by about 20% in 2025. The measure itself is introduced in EV charging fundamentals, stop 07.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
Why does cost per kWh fall as utilisation rises?
Hardware, connection, site and services cost the same; more kWh share them.
What does 10% utilisation mean for a fast charger?
10% of 24 hours is 2.4 hours at full power, spread over the day's sessions.
How many electric cars and vans were there per public charge point in the EU at the end of 2025?
The IEA reports about 11 for the EU, close to the global average; the United States had about 33.
- Utilisation How intensively a charger is used, for example in sessions or energy per day. EV charging fundamentals, stop 07 Glossary
- IEA: Global EV Outlook 2026: Electric vehicle charging. https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2026/electric-vehicle-charging-chap-6-and-10. Checked 09 Oct 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
- IEA: Global EV Outlook 2026: Electric vehicle charging. https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2026/electric-vehicle-charging-chap-6-and-10. Checked 09 Oct 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.