At first glance, owning your own EV charging stations looks like a smart move. You buy the equipment, collect the revenues, and position your property as a future-proof location. However, beneath the surface lies a reality that many property owners underestimate: EV charging infrastructure is fragile, rapidly evolving, and costly to maintain.
This blog explores the hidden risks of EV charging ownership (from technology obsolescence to unexpected repair bills). It explains why outsourcing through Charging as a Service (CaaS) often makes more sense for commercial real estate investors.
Risk 1: Technological Change and Scaling
It is challenging for property owners to keep pace with the rapid pace of technological development.
- Scaling: Your current charging stations may meet existing needs, but as the number of EVs—and therefore the demand for charging—increases, your infrastructure may suddenly become inadequate. This can force property owners to expand the number of chargers before the initial investment has been paid back.
- Payment systems: Standards evolve. RFID, mobile apps, and contactless credit card payments – staying compatible requires constant upgrades.
- Software platforms: Charger management software is a hidden cost. Frequent updates, cybersecurity patches, and evolving interoperability requirements all demand attention.
This is the definition of a stranded asset: a charger that technically still works, but no longer delivers the service tenants or visitors expect. If you own the charger, you bear the financial loss.
Risk 2: Maintenance and Hidden Costs
The very first overlooked risk is the cost of installation itself. Buying the charger is only part of the expense. To make a system reliable, several ‘invisible’ works are required:
- Distribution boards and subpanels: Existing panels often lack sufficient capacity, necessitating upgrades or replacement with new units.
- Groundworks: digging trenches for cabling can spiral out of control. Unexpected obstacles, such as tree roots, existing cables, or pipes, quickly drive up costs.
- Resurfacing: re-laying paving stones or repairing asphalt adds further expense.
- New grid connection: The existing grid connection may not be sufficient to power multiple EV chargers. This means submitting a formal request to the grid operator for additional capacity or even a new connection. Apart from the cost, waiting times of several months (or even years in congested areas) are increasingly common.
- Signing and markings: Signage, road paint, and wayfinding are often forgotten in the budget. Yet without clear markings, drivers may block charging bays or fail to notice the infrastructure. Professional signing ensures accessibility and reinforces the visibility of the investment.
These hidden costs quickly add up. Owners who underestimate these extra works often face budget overruns.
Maintenance and Repairs
EV chargers are exposed to the elements. Rain, frost, and heat can all shorten their lifespan. But some risks are less obvious and far more frustrating.

- Slugs, snails, and beetles: Moisture-loving creatures can crawl into a charging cabinet and short-circuit the motherboard. Owners often underestimate how quickly minor issues can escalate into significant bills. Small pests can clog ventilation or damage switches, leading to failures.
- Rodents: Mice or rats chew through cables and insulation. This is not only dangerous but also expensive to repair.
- Vandalism and misuse: Broken screens, bent plugs, graffiti; all common in semi-public spaces.
- Wear and tear: Cables fray, plugs wear out, and screens fail. Each incident triggers a service call, downtime, and unexpected costs.
- Unforeseen issues: Even simple technical failures, such as a blown fuse, can render a charger offline. While not catastrophic, call-out fees and labor still add up, creating unplanned costs.
The Warranty Myth
Yes, chargers come with warranties. But coverage is limited.
- Most producers provide a warranty of around 27 to 36 months on new chargers, depending on the production date and region. Spare parts are usually covered for 12 months, and manufacturers often guarantee the availability of spare parts for at least five years after shipment.
- What’s excluded: damage caused by pests, moisture, vandalism, improper installation, or use outside manufacturer specifications. Insurance often excludes these as well.
This means that even with an extended warranty, owners face significant uncovered risks. After a few years, when warranties expire, every repair, from rodent damage to vandalism, becomes your financial responsibility.
Installation Matters
Another overlooked factor is installation quality. Certified installers can reduce risks significantly by sealing entry points, preventing rodents from nesting inside, and ensuring proper drainage. A poorly installed charger is far more likely to fail prematurely, and such failures are rarely covered under warranty.
In short, maintenance is not optional. It’s an ongoing responsibility, full of hidden risks and costs. If you own the chargers, you carry them.
Risk 3: Grid and Power Constraints
Grid congestion is a growing problem in Europe. Even if your chargers are installed, network limitations may force curtailment or expensive grid upgrades. If you own the chargers, you’re stuck with the bill.
- In the Netherlands, delays for grid connections can run into years.
- In Belgium, netbeheerder Fluvius warns of ‘capacity stress’ in several regions.
- In Germany, grid operators often require costly upgrades to metering cabinets before additional chargers can be connected.
For property owners, this creates a vicious cycle: high capital expenditures upfront, plus unpredictable future operating expenditures for grid-related costs.
Risk 4: Compliance and Liability
Owning chargers means you’re responsible for:
- Safety standards (electrical inspections, fire protection)
- GDPR compliance if you store user data
- Tax obligations (VAT on charging sessions)
- Accessibility requirements (e.g. disabled parking integration)
Failure to comply exposes you to fines or lawsuits. Most owners don’t have the in-house expertise to manage this — but as the legal owner, liability is yours.
Risk 5: Downtime and Reputation
Every hour a charger is offline damages your reputation with tenants and visitors. Drivers expect reliability. A broken charger reflects poorly on your property, even if the cause is beyond your control.
Academic research on customer experience suggests that reliability is the most important factor in determining perceived service quality. A few negative experiences can outweigh dozens of positive ones.
For property owners, this means: downtime is more than a technical issue; it’s a reputational risk.
The Behavioral Angle: Why Owners Underestimate Risk
Behavioral economics explains why so many owners still prefer to “buy and own.”
- (Over)Confidence bias: Owners believe they can manage chargers more effectively or at a lower cost than a third party.
- Present bias: They focus on the potential revenue today while underestimating long-term maintenance costs.
- Identity: Owning infrastructure feels like control, even if it increases exposure to risk.
In reality, these biases make owners vulnerable. By outsourcing risks to a CaaS provider, they align decisions with long-term interests rather than short-term instincts.
Turning Risk into Opportunity with CaaS
Charging as a Service changes the story:
- No CAPEX: The provider invests in hardware, software, and grid connections.
- No OPEX: Maintenance, repairs, and replacements are included.
- Guaranteed uptime: Providers carry the operational risk, protecting your reputation.
- Future-proofing: As technology evolves, CaaS upgrades ensure your property doesn’t become stuck with stranded assets.
Instead of hidden risks, property owners gain visible benefits: tenant satisfaction, ESG compliance, and revenue sharing, all without exposure to the headaches of ownership.
Conclusion
Owning EV charging infrastructure may seem attractive at first, but the hidden risks tell a different story. Stranded assets, obsolescence, costly repairs, and compliance burdens can quickly erode ROI. From slugs damaging motherboards to grid operators demanding expensive upgrades, the reality is clear: EV charging risks are higher than most owners expect.
Forward-thinking property investors recognize this. They don’t take unnecessary risks with fragile, fast-changing technology. Instead, they partner with CaaS providers who absorb the risk and deliver the upside.
For commercial real estate, the most brilliant move is not to own chargers, but to ensure your property has them, reliable, modern, and future-proof.