7 key insights for growing an electric car charging business

Like any growing industry, you’ve probably come across challenges, fast-moving tech, volatile market and changing consumer needs, but the rewards outweigh the pain points. 

There’s plenty of electric car charging stations business opportunity if you know where to look!

You’ll have the benefit of being a ‘first-mover’, taking advantage of less competition and greater revenue potential. And if you’re in business for more lofty goals - propelling the planet into a more sustainable future. 

So, if you want to scale your ev charging business, then educate yourself on these 7 key insights.

Electric car charging points for business

Let’s address the core of the business - to successfully establish yourself as a player in the market, you need the best hardware and software. But what constitutes ‘the best’? 

Your chargers need to be durable for outside use, easy to operate, advertise appropriate helplines and other essential information. 

Your software needs to be equipped with smart features that can monitor usage for energy management, offer various billing options and utilise self-healing functionality.

One of the most critical parts is establishing a smooth integration between the two to deliver an exceptional user experience. If you want to grow your electric car charging points business, follow the tips below.

1) Choosing your hardware

Let's start with the most obvious item on the list: the hardware. As the industry has grown, so has the number of charging device manufacturers, meaning there's a lot to choose from. 

Ultimately, deciding which charger to use depends on your intended service - for example, DC chargers are particularly apt for heavy-duty fleets that need to limit charging downtime. 

You'll likely pick from:

• Standard charging (AC up to 22 kW​)
• Fast charging (DC 50-150 kW)
• Ultra-fast charging (DC 150-600 kW)

You can find more information on charger types here.

2) Smart stations, smart service

Another important feature to consider is smart charging, i.e. the ability to connect to a cloud-based service. This enables the charging station to be updated and controlled remotely. 

OCPP, Open Charge Point Protocol, is the de facto standard in the EV charging industry, empowering a connection between hardware and software.

As mentioned above, remote access to chargers means that you’ll be able to utilise things like; 

• Self-healing functionality 
• Load management
• V2G technology
• Firmware updates
• Billings and payments

There are a lot more features you can use based on your required needs. All in all, these features can help you save OPEX costs and the headache of poor driver support, give you an added sell value if you operate in the B2B space, and more.

So, whether you want a business electric car charging point, multiple points to support a fleet or a more ambitious charging hub, incorporate smart charging functionality to get your options running more efficiently.

3) Let your drivers charge

Good quality chargers and a reliable cloud-based service are essential, but they’re not enough on their own—EV drivers need to be able to find and use your charging stations as well. 

To future-proof your charging service, it’s crucial to include features like a user-friendly registration page and a seamless one-time payment solution. Additionally, providing tools for EV drivers to locate and access your charging stations is key.

A well-designed mobile app can make this process easy. It enables drivers to find nearby stations, start and stop charging sessions, and handle payments automatically—no wallet required, just the app. For added convenience, most charging devices also support RFID cards, offering even more flexibility.

By using a white-label solution, you can ensure your brand is still recognisable and visible during the charging process.

4) Roaming: extend your charging network

EV drivers want to be able to charge without a hassle — without having to always guess which RFID key or mobile app out of the dozens works at each charging station. This is where roaming comes in handy.

Roaming enables subscribers of one service provider's network to use the resources of another service provider. Simply put, it enables EV drivers to have the most extensive access to charging infrastructure possible and can use the charging stations in the roaming network with just one customer account, your company's. 

Roaming in EV charging is similar to roaming in mobile phone networks in that way. You can learn much more about roaming in our e-book below.

By choosing a service with roaming possibilities, networks grow to be more comprehensive as you offer an extended network for your customers. Charging point owners get more users for their network, and EV drivers gain access to charging points in different regions with a single subscription. One comprehensive service is enough when one customer account can use all roaming stations.

Virta is currently connected to all major roaming networks, including Hubject and Gireve.

5) Strategic locations

If you're an ambitious CPO, you'll want to grow your business with a strategic plan in mind. Part of that plan will be deciding where you want to install charging points. Think about: 

Driver use-cases: What drivers are you trying to target, and what might be a convenient location for them to charge. For example, corporate business drivers may use hotels for business meetings and need fast charging to decrease downtime; van fleet drivers may need scheduled charging at depots to avoid a peak rush. 

Electrical infrastructure: Does your site have the required electrical output to support your chargers? Make sure you complete a survey to get conclusive answers and go from there.

Site-specific consideration: Think about practical things like land ownership, zoning laws and regulations, and space constraints. 

Environmental impact and safety: Will charging infrastructure cause disturbance amongst wildlife or the local population? Save yourself a headache down the road and complete appropriate checks. Lighting and surveillance should already be considered to keep drivers safe while charging and the hardware protected. 

Whether you want business electric car charging points, retail-specific, or home-charging, these are just a few things to consider.

6) Leverage partnerships

Building a successful charging business isn’t something you can achieve in isolation—it requires strong partnerships to support key aspects of your operations. These might include:

• Charger manufacturers
• Software providers like Virta
• Landowners and real estate owners
• Local communities
• Telecommunication and connectivity providers

The partners you choose should align with your vision for the business in the next 3 to 5 years and reflect the needs of your ideal customers. That said, selecting partners in a fast-evolving industry can be challenging. Prioritise companies that are trustworthy, transparent, and share your values—it’s critical to long-term success.

Finally, if you want to future-proof your business, collaboration isn’t optional; it’s a necessity. Learning to work effectively with others will be key to staying ahead in this dynamic landscape.

7) Focus on scalability and data

Real-time data is essential for driving your business forward. Its trophy use is that it improves user experience by providing charger availability and personalisation. But it also:

• For utilities, data aids in load balancing, integrating renewable energy, and grid management. 
• Operationally, it enables predictive maintenance, cost management, and dynamic pricing models. 
• Governments use data for policy-making, assessing emissions impacts, and designing incentives to boost EV adoption. 
• Data also supports sustainability goals by tracking carbon footprints and measuring charging performance. 

Ultimately, data helps create a sustainable, efficient, and user-friendly EV ecosystem, benefiting consumers, operators, and the environment.

These 7 tips aren’t all we have to offer: read more about building a successful charging business from our EV Charging Business Guide.