Companies sometimes regard charging stations as a sensible investment. They even want to turn them into a business model. But why would you do that if it’s not your core business? You can only spend your money once…
Now it feels like I am preaching to the choir and trying to convince you that you should not invest in charging stations because we want to do it for you.
In a way, of course, it is. Pluq would like to install charging stations at your location. But with this blog, I mainly want to protect you from a fiasco.
We have already established that there is still a great deal of ignorance in the world of charging stations. As a result, you risk receiving the wrong advice. That risk often translates into high bills.
- Construction is more expensive
- More cable was needed than expected
- No future expansion is envisaged
- The repaving cost more man-hours than anticipated
- Raw material prices are rising
An excess of 30% is no exception, with all sorts of nasty consequences. The malfunctions in the long run or the premature need for expansion mean you have to cough up a hefty sum while you have not yet earned back the previous investment.
One of our very first customers, the owner of a small restaurant in Brabant, was planning to buy and install charging stations himself. After receiving several quotes, he calculated that three charging sockets would cost him 25,000 euros. All-in. This shocked him. According to his calculations, it would take at least six years to earn this amount. If he used this money to renovate two hotel rooms, he could charge 20 euros more per night. The upshot was that he left the charging stations’ purchase, installation, and maintenance to us.
Why invest in charging stations if it is not your core business?
There is so much more to it than meets the eye. What do you do if someone drives a charging station out of the ground? Do you know about software updates and modem adjustments? What do you do when in 2030, over 30% of cars will be electric, and you will need many more charging stations to meet the electricity demand? Are you able to monitor and manage an intelligent system of charging stations that talk to each other?
Each company will have a different argument. From conversations with customers, it has become clear that investments in the core business generally generate more turnover than an investment in charging stations.
A large office complex facility manager recently told me that he did not want to invest in charging stations because the return was too low. Small fruit’, he said, not worth it. He’d instead invest in upgrading the building and opted for a full charging station service. He didn’t want to call a mechanic every time there was a problem. It was a waste of time.
Free charging stations are ideal for businesses:
- who have no money but want to offer their customers.a recharging service
- who have money but believe that ‘atypical activities’ should not cost anything.
- Who wants to invest money in charging stations but is afraid of losing focus on their core business.
- Which have such high turnovers that relieving them of the burden is more profitable than the long-term return.
As the director of a theme park, you should think twice about investing 100,000 euros in a charging station with 10 posts or use the money to buy a new roller coaster and let a charging station specialist take care of it all for free.
At Pluq, we tend to think it’s a no-brainer…
