EV Charging Sites With More Plugs Get More Use, Kempower Finds
Study examines whether station hardware density influences driver behavior and network efficiency.
Kempower has published research indicating that EV charging sites equipped with more plugs tend to attract higher utilization rates, a finding that could influence how networks plan infrastructure investments.
What Happened
The Finnish charging equipment maker analyzed usage patterns across its network and found that locations offering a greater number of connectors correlated with increased sessions per site. The company presented the data as evidence that hardware density plays a role in driver decision-making when selecting where to charge, particularly during periods of peak demand. Kempower did not release specific utilization percentages or session counts in the preliminary discussion of its findings.
Why It Matters
For network operators and planners, the implication is that concentrating chargers at fewer locations may leave capacity unused while spreading them thinly could reduce per-site traffic. Drivers have long cited reliability and availability as top concerns with public charging; if sites with more plugs draw more users, it suggests that perceived abundance—or simply reduced wait times—encourages adoption. The research adds to an ongoing industry conversation about optimal charger-to-location ratios as EV fleets grow.
The Bottom Line
Kempower's data supports the idea that site-level plug count influences driver behavior, but broader validation across diverse markets and network types will be needed before drawing firm deployment conclusions.
