The best location for a public charging station is not a type of place — it is the winner of a comparison between the actual sites you can sign. Score each candidate on the same evidence: the utility’s written answer on power, observed demand and dwell, the access the site can really offer, and the lease terms the hardware must survive. One deal-breaker — no capacity, or access hours your operating model needs but the site cannot give — outweighs a page of strengths.
Key Takeaways
- “Best location” is a comparison result: score the sites you can actually sign, on the same evidence.
- Power is the gate — settle it with the utility’s written answer before weighing traffic.
- Run funding terms such as NEVI’s as a pass/fail filter before scoring anything else.
- One deal-breaker (no capacity, wrong access hours, lease shorter than the payback period) outweighs any list of strengths.
Score Both Sites on the Same Evidence
| Criterion | Evidence that settles it | Deal-breaker form |
|---|---|---|
| Power | The utility’s written capacity answer for the site, and who pays for any upgrade it names | No capacity and no funded upgrade route — traffic cannot fix this |
| Demand and dwell | Observed stops at the site and how long they last; whether the nearest chargers run full at the hours you would trade | Stays far shorter or longer than the charger class you plan to install |
| Access | The hours the site can stay open to drivers, entry and exit flow, whether drivers can find and reach the bays easily and safely | A site that closes when your drivers need it, or bays the public cannot legally use |
| Terms | Lease length set against the years the installation must earn, who funds grid and civil works, exclusivity over charging on the site | A lease shorter than the period the hardware must repay its installation |
| Room to grow | Space and a ducting route for more bays than stage one, without rebuilding the site | A layout that caps you at the first installation forever |
Score with evidence, not impressions: the same visit that produces “great location” should also produce the utility’s written answer, counts from the site’s busy hours, and the landlord’s terms in draft. Our site selection guide covers what to look for on a property; this comparison is the step before — choosing between properties.
The Funding Filter, If It Applies
If a candidate is meant to host a funded corridor station, run the funding terms as a pass/fail filter before comparing anything else. Under the U.S. NEVI rules, for example, corridor stations must provide DC ports of at least 150 kW with CCS1 connectors, stay open 24/7, accept contactless payment with no membership required, and hold average annual uptime above 97%. A site that cannot stay open around the clock, or cannot be supplied at that power, fails the filter however good its traffic looks — and the comparison moves to the candidate that passes. The full terms are in the federal rule, linked below; state programmes set their own.
Hardware Follows the Winning Site
Match the hardware to the dwell the winning site actually offers. A short-stop site takes compact DC such as the EV-RHDC30K-L (22 kW DC, OCPP 1.6J, IP54) — below the corridor class, suited to stops measured in tens of minutes; its listing does not name the DC connector standard, so confirm the fitted connector in writing against your drivers’ cars before ordering. A long-stay site takes AC: the EV-AC03201T dual-connector station (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, OCPP 1.6J, RFID, IP54) serves two bays whose cars stay for hours. The range for both patterns is on our commercial EV charging page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which matters more, traffic or power?
Power is the gate and traffic is the prize behind it. A heavily visited site with no capacity and no upgrade route hosts nothing; a well-supplied site with modest traffic hosts a station that can grow. Compare power first, demand second.
Is a site next to an existing charging station a good or bad pick?
It proves drivers already stop and charge in that area, which is real evidence of demand. Whether there is room for another operator depends on how full those chargers run at peak and whether your offer differs — price, speed or the stop itself. Read the queues, not just the map.
How long should the site lease be?
Long enough for the installation to repay itself and for any funding conditions attached to the site to run their course — both are figures from your own business case and the programme’s terms, so take them to the lease negotiation as requirements, not hopes. It is a contract question for your adviser, not a number an article can set.
Related Reading
- Where to Install an EV Charging Station: Site Selection Guide
- How to Open an EV Charging Station: Step by Step
- How to Get an EV Charging Station License: Permits and Approvals
- How Much Does It Cost to Install a Commercial EV Charging Station?
