Electric vehicle charging and the role of the parking sector

The EV transition has become almost inevitable. The fact is, however, that its success is highly contingent on the development of a robust, convenient, and reliable network of public charging infrastructure. With more actors carving out strategic roles for themselves, one begins to question the role of the parking sector and to what extent and how they should adapt, if at all. We present the results of a study commissioned by the European Parking Association that explores this question.

The need for publicly accessible charging infrastructure

As electrification of the vehicle fleet grows and extends to the masses, demand for public charging infrastructure will grow. In high-density urban areas where multi-unit dwellings are prevalent and access to private charging opportunities is limited, the rollout of reliable and affordable public charging infrastructure will be critical – but where will people go to fulfil their charging needs?

Charging somewhere that you are parked anyway will always be convenient. We expect that the act of charging will very much be integrated into a person’s daily travel destinations, with users charging their vehicles like they do their smartphones, topping up as they go, when the opportunity arises, even as enroute rapid charging stations grow closer to replicating the ICE refueling experience.

The case for the involvement of the parking sector

The involvement of parking operators is still at its infancy and there remains a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the business case. However, EV charging can be regarded as a natural fit for the parking sector for several reasons:

• An EV user needs to park their vehicle for it to charge, and, conversely, they might want to charge their vehicle as it parks and multi-task. A parking operator can satisfy both demands at once, making for an optimal solution.
• Placing charging infrastructure in off-street parking garages allows for less crowding of the curb and more attractive public spaces.
• Parking operators already have some of the structures in place needed for charging, such as payment terminals, reducing necessary investments.
• At greater EV adoption levels, we can expect a lack of charging points to be a dissatisfier, especially when people do not have access to home or workplace charging. Some degree of business model innovation and proactivity will be necessary to stay relevant amidst a rapidly evolving landscape.
• A parking operator is a central entity that manages many parking spots concentrated in one location, and they can usually expect a certain level of activity. This makes for a greater opportunity to provide flexibility services to the grid.

On smart charging

With smart charging, the fact that vehicles are parked for about 95% of their lifetime becomes an opportunity to create value and reap monetary benefits, especially in cases with longer connection times and more predictable vehicle use. Parking lot operators have been suggested to be suitable candidates to fill an intermediary role between EVs and the energy market; they have access to many vehicles on a regular basis, have existing IT infrastructure for billing, and contractual frameworks with customers which can be tailored to pass on revenues. While the practical application is still at its infancy, very much depends on the use case, and is not without its technical, economic and social challenges, parking operators can start by experimenting and building knowhow.

The full report is available here: https://www.europeanparking.eu/en/activities/ev-charging-study-in-europe/