There is no forecourt price list. A petrol station charging project is priced as layers: the DOE-cited U.S. class frames — public Level 2 at about $3,500 equipment plus $2,500 installation per connector, DC fast at about $38,000–$90,000 equipment plus $20,000–$60,000 installation per unit — plus layers only a fuel site carries: the utility’s written connection offer, civil works from a survey of a live forecourt, and permits and classified-area design confirmed in writing by your authority and insurer. The total exists only when every layer is quoted.
Key Takeaways
- A forecourt budget is layers, not a price: DOE class frames plus utility, civil, permit and platform layers.
- The utility line comes only from the written connection offer — carry it provisional.
- Classified-area and permit costs are priced by your authority’s and insurer’s documents, never by the supplier.
- Compact DC is priced on its own lines below the DC fast frame; dual-connector AC counts per connector.
The Cost Layers on a Forecourt
| Layer | DOE anchor (U.S.), if one exists | The forecourt confirmation that prices it |
|---|---|---|
| Charging equipment | Level 2 about $3,500 per connector; DC fast about $38,000–$90,000 per unit | A written quote against a frozen specification |
| Electrical installation | Level 2 about $2,500 per connector; DC fast about $20,000–$60,000 per unit | Installer quote from survey, incl. routes across an operating forecourt |
| Grid connection and utility-side work | No published figure | The utility’s written connection offer only |
| Civil works | Inside the installation frame; no separate range | Surveyed scope, set against the site’s fuel infrastructure |
| Permits, design and classified-area compliance | None | Authority’s and insurer’s written positions; installer’s design against both |
| Platform, payment and commissioning | None | Operator quotes; no charger takes payment by itself |
Why a Forecourt Prices Differently From Other Sites
Two forecourt facts move money in ways a car park never sees. First, the work happens on a live fuel site: trenching, deliveries and bay closures are phased around fuel operations, priced inside the installer’s and civil quotes rather than as their own line — ask how each quote treats working hours and closures. Second, parts of a forecourt are classified space. Where a charger may stand, and what design the work needs, are set by your authority’s rules and your insurer’s terms; the supplier cannot confirm them, and no rule or distance transfers between jurisdictions. So each layer is priced by a document — connection offer, survey, authority’s position — that has to exist first. The shared installation lines are covered in our commercial installation cost breakdown.
Assembling the Forecourt Budget
- Fix the class per bay group first. The two class frames differ by an order of magnitude; a pre-class budget averages two budgets into nonsense.
- Quote every layer separately. Equipment, electrical, civil, utility-side, permits and design, platform — so a cheaper total shows which layer it shrank.
- Carry the utility line as provisional. Mark it open until the connection offer lands; it is the layer likeliest to move the total.
- Price the permit layer from the authority’s own schedule. Fees and required design work are jurisdiction documents; keep them as separate lines.
- Keep incentives out until confirmed. The U.S. 30C credit no longer applies to property placed in service after June 30, 2026; check current programmes (in the U.S., DSIRE) and net nothing off unconfirmed.
Hardware Commonly Priced for Forecourts
For parked waits at a workshop or service desk, EVDANCE’s EV-RHDC30K-L is a compact DC charger at 22 kW DC (OCPP 1.6J, IP54) — below the DOT’s 50–350 kW DC fast band, so it is priced on its own lines, not read off the DC frame; its listing does not name the DC connector variant, a written confirmation first. For cars that stay, the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, RFID, OCPP 1.6J, IP54) puts two connectors on one post, counted per connector against the Level 2 frame. Forecourt layouts and quotes run through our commercial charging team or contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which layer dominates a forecourt project budget?
No universal ranking exists; any source offering one is inventing it. In the DOE frames, installation rivals equipment for DC work, the utility line can exceed both on a constrained site, and the permit layer is unpriced until your authority’s position exists. Your survey and offer produce the ranking.
Can I budget from the DOE ranges alone?
As a per-class frame, yes — they are the sourced U.S. anchors. But utility-side work, live-site civil scope, and permit and design costs sit outside them; a ranges-only budget misses its largest unknowns.
Who prices the classified-area requirements?
Your authority confirms what is required; your installer’s quote prices building to it; your insurer may add conditions. The supplier prices none of it — hence confirmations first, in writing.
Related Reading
- How Much Does It Cost to Install a Commercial EV Charging Station?
- How Much Do Commercial EV Chargers Cost?
- What Affects EV Charger Installation Cost? 8 Factors to Check
- Why Is DC Fast Charging So Expensive?
