The Best Places to Install Commercial EV Chargers in 2026

One of the common conundrums with installing commercial electric vehicle (EV) chargers is the perceived supply and demand for them (or lack thereof). Some drivers who are tempted to make the switch from an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle to an EV want to wait for EV charging infrastructure to become commonplace in their city or region before they commit to buying one. But property owners often want to know there is localized demand for EV chargers before they commit to installing them on their property. 

While charging EVs at home is still the main priority for most drivers, there is a growing demographic of drivers who don’t have access to home charging. These are your apartment and multifamily housing dwellers whose housing developments haven’t yet installed EV charging infrastructure. As EV prices continue to drop, and the used EV market continues to grow, more non-homeowners are going to be purchasing them and requiring public charging places. 

With this in mind, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) conducted a survey of EV drivers across multiple countries to find out where they are charging and where they would like to see more public EV chargers installed. We will concentrate on the public places that drivers in the United States pointed to as being top priorities, going from the highest to lowest priority for EV drivers. 

Americans, who tend to be comfortable with driving long distances, want to be able to keep driving those longer distances in their EVs. That means having spots to charge positioned along the Interstates and other major highways. 

Placing EV charging stations at spots where drivers are already used to fueling their vehicles makes a lot of sense, as there is already a familiarity with the locations of these fueling stops and drivers associate them with fueling their vehicles already. Gasoline stations also tend to have existing infrastructure like convenience stores and restaurants for drivers, making them ideal to expand from gasoline and diesel fueling stations to EV charging hubs. 

In this case, the best type of EV chargers to install are Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFCs), like the Blink 60kW - 360kW DCFC, as they are capable of charging an EV in under an hour, allowing drivers to get back on the road relatively quickly. The amount of time it takes for a DCFC to charge an EV aligns nicely with the opportunity to take a break from driving on the highway while the vehicle charges.

Rest stops along highways

Carrying on from the last point, highway rest stops were prioritized second for Americans. Like existing gas stations, rest stops already have infrastructure in place for drivers to pull over and rest, so they would be natural fits to add EV chargers and turn them into fueling stops where people could charge while they take a break from traveling. 

DCFCs could be placed at these locations, but some of them have little or no electrical infrastructure, meaning the chargers may require solar panels and a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in place to run uninterrupted while charging. A BESS is essentially a giant battery. The solar panels would provide electricity to the BESS, which would run the EV chargers. 

Blink Charging has already installed similar EV charging infrastructure at Southport Plaza in Philadelphia, PA. In that installation, the BESS allows energy to be captured from the electrical grid during off-peak usage times when electricity prices are lowest and releases the energy to charge EVs during peak-usage times when electricity prices are higher, to offset the costs of demand fees. The BESS’ stored energy enables reduced stress on the local electrical grid, and allows drivers to charge even during black-out conditions. At rest stops in more remote areas, the BESS could be connected to a solar array. 

Alternatively, Level 2 (L2) chargers, like the Blink Series 7 ISO, could be placed at rest stops with solar panels and the necessary infrastructure to run them. There have already been solar-powered L2 chargers placed at some hiking trailheads in the U.S, so highway rest stops are a natural extension of this.

Since the BCG survey found that drivers indicated they would be more willing to pay premium prices for fast charging, a parking garage operator may also want to have at least one DCFC on site to offer a fast charging option. 

“A clear message emerging from our survey is the willingness of EV owners to pay a lot more to power up their cars at fast-charging public facilities,” BCG said. “Indeed, the price increase they deemed acceptable rose as the speed of the vehicle charge increased.”

One item of importance to note for parking garages is that because of their thick concrete walls, sometimes EV chargers in parking garages require a cellular repeater to be able to connect to their network.

Supermarkets

Placing fourth on the list of public places Americans want to see more EV charging stations are supermarkets, stores that virtually everyone visits at some point during the week. Charging your EV while shopping makes perfect sense. Your vehicle is just sitting while you are in the store, so why not have your battery filling while you buy your groceries? 

For supermarkets, where vehicles are likely to be sitting for an hour or so at a time, L2 chargers allow drivers to get some juice while they do their shopping. Some drivers may be looking for a fast charge while at the grocery store, and a major supermarket chain – especially one that already provides gasoline on site – may want to consider installing a bank of DCFCs to become a local charging hub in addition to being a gasoline stop.

To avoid having guests “hog” the charging spots, pricing will have to be strategic. The Blink Network, which is the cloud-based software platform that runs all Blink Chargers, allows for different kinds of pricing. This can be based simply on the power used, or the time an EV is spent plugged in, or a combination of both. To avoid having a driver simply park in an EV spot and leave their vehicle there indefinitely, property owners can enact a graduated payment scale where a vehicle is charged higher and higher fees the longer their vehicle sits in an EV charging spot once their vehicle is done charging. This will prompt drivers to be vigilant about moving their vehicles once they have completed charging. They can receive a notification when their vehicle is done charging via a service like the Blink Charging App. 

If an accommodation destination wants to provide charging capabilities for both guests and its own EV fleet, the Blink Network allows the creation of groups with different pricing structures. For example, the general public could be charged the highest price, guests could be provided with a code and receive discounted pricing, and EVs belonging to the business’ own fleet could charge without paying anything. 

Restaurants

Restaurants followed as the sixth most important type of public place where Americans want to see companies install commercial EV chargers. Sit down restaurants where drivers can expect to spend about an hour or so ordering, eating, and paying for their meal are ideal spots for L2 chargers. 

To ensure that a restaurant owner is always able to maximize revenue from their EV charger, the Blink Network allows for time-variable pricing. This means you can set different prices for different time periods. You are able to set a higher charging price when electricity rates are higher, and a lower charging price when electricity rates are lower. 

Generally, electricity rates are higher at times of increased demand, like during the business day, and they are lower during times of decreased demand, like in the evenings and overnight.

Streets and other public spaces

Lower down the list in seventh are public streets and other public spaces. Municipal governments and city administrations may want to explore the idea of hosting L2 chargers in public parking spots along streets or in publicly available parking lots to keep up with the growing demand for charging locations. It could be a way for smaller communities to attract residents and provide a convenient location for apartment dwellers whose building owners are dragging their feet on adopting EV charging infrastructure. 

Publicly accessible EV charging stations require preventative care to make sure they are always in working condition, which is a major pain point for EV drivers. Too often they will roll up to an EV charger only to find it inoperative for some reason. Blink Charging helps to prevent this with the Blink Care Program. 

For L2 chargers, Blink Care provides:

• Two visits within a 12-month period.

• Detailing of equipment, including cleaning of the screen, cables, and cable management system.

• Inspection of RFID card reader for any malfunctions.

• Testing of the equipment via plug-in simulator or an actual electric vehicle.

• Visual inspection and documentation for any damage on the equipment, including scratches and nicks.

• Full visit report, including complete service checklist and photographs of equipment before and after service.

And for DCFCs, Blink Care provides:

• All the services provided for L2 chargers, plus:

• Preventative Maintenance that includes: 

  • Inspection of filters and coolants and replacement as needed.

  • Inspection of cabinets for optimal operations.

Sometimes parking lot configurations can be difficult to economically set up DCFCs. You want to keep the power unit of the DC fast charger near the electrical power source, but that spot may not work well for having EVs park and charge. For these types of situations, the Blink DC Distributed System can help solve this issue. 

The DC Distributed System separates the power unit from the dispenser units, which hold the EV charging ports. You can install the dispenser units up to 262 ft. (80 m) away, meaning you can have the power unit installed close to the electrical source on one side of the parking lot and install the dispenser units on the other side of the parking lot if it’s a better location for parking and charging. And since the DC Distributed System is modular, you can increase its power output and add charging ports incrementally as EV charging demand grows.

Entertainment and leisure

Americans consider EV chargers at entertainment and leisure spots to be less of a priority, as they came in at number nine on the list of public places they’d most like to see more commercial EV charging installations. However, it is important to note that this is a broad category and there are many entertainment and leisure venues where EV charging would make perfect sense.  

Golf courses, for example, would be an obvious choice for EV charging. Not only does a full round of golf take hours to complete, but there would likely be a lot of demographic overlap between golfers and EV drivers. Plugging in an EV while you go play an 18-hole round just makes sense. 

Movie theaters, theme parks, and any other types of entertainment venues where a driver could be expected to have their vehicle parked for hours at a time are also ideal for EV charging infrastructure. As mentioned above, you could have a lower charging price for customers and a higher charging price for non-customers using the chargers.

Healthcare facilities

At number 10 on the list of commercial spaces drivers want to see more EV chargers is healthcare facilities. The researchers surmise that healthcare facilities came in so low because unlike places like supermarkets, healthcare facilities are visited far less frequently. And while that may be the case, EV drivers who do need to visit a healthcare facility like a doctor’s office or a dentist’s practice, will appreciate the option to be able to charge while they are at their appointment. 

Adding an amenity like EV charging will also help attract clientele who drive EVs, and also employees who drive EVs and/or want to work for companies that prioritize sustainability practices. 

Education facilities and Others

Taking up 11th and 12th spots in the survey were educational facilities and public places that didn’t fit into any of the other categories. Educational facilities include elementary and high schools, where students are either not going to be driving at all or probably not driving EVs. Parents are usually only stopping at these places briefly to drop off and pick up kids, and the general public isn’t really allowed to be on the premises. 

However, these educational facilities may still want to install EV charging infrastructure so they can transition their own fleet of school buses to electric and for their own staff who drive EVs. Eventually, as EVs increasingly become more common and the used EV market grows, it will probably become more prevalent for high school students to drive them to school. Students would likely appreciate the ability to charge while they are inside taking classes. 

Colleges and universities, which cater to adults, could start installing EV charging infrastructure for both students and staff now, as some of their student population and staff members are bound to be EV drivers already, and this will only increase over time. 

“... Less obvious charging locations—such as restaurants, entertainment venues, healthcare facilities, or educational centers—were not a priority,” BCG said. “This is likely because visits to these locations are infrequent and not part of normal day-to-day routines. In the future, however, when EVs enter the mainstream, these locations may become more attractive for charging, particularly as EV owners adapt to new charging routines that differ from fueling.”

While a Level 1 charger can take up to 12 hours or possibly even more to charge a vehicle, an L2 charger only takes a few hours and a DCFC takes less than an hour. Public charging is obviously a driver’s only option if they go on a long road trip, as well. Gas stations are fairly ubiquitous and drivers are almost always within easy reach of them. On the other hand, the same cannot yet be said for EV charging stations, hence why existing gas stations and highway rest stops are the top two choices for Americans when it comes to public places they would like to see more EV charging infrastructure. 

When EV drivers have access to both home and workplace charging, they still choose to use public chargers 20% of the time. If they only have access to workplace charging, they opt to use public charging 40% of the time. 

EV charging for everyone

While most public EV chargers are located in cities, there is still a need for more in highly urbanized areas because of the prevalence of renters who may not have access to charging at home. If they don’t have charging stations available at work, these drivers are forced to utilize public charging stations, which can often be busy or potentially inoperable. For these drivers, installing more publicly available charging stations in densely populated cities is imperative. 

And while they are not public spaces, multifamily residential units are one of the most important places to install EV charging infrastructure. In fact, it’s so important that many states and local municipalities have now enacted building codes for new developments to ensure they are built with EV charging installed during the construction process. 

Getting started with EV charging installation

For any commercial, publicly-administered, or multifamily property wanting to install EV charging infrastructure, the best way to get started is to connect with your local utility provider and an EV charging specialist like Blink Charging. 

We can set up an EV charging site assessment for your property to ascertain the best locations for EV charging stations and which type of chargers would benefit your location most. 

Your utility provider will be able to tell you if your property is going to require any electrical upgrades to accommodate the EV charging infrastructure you want to install. Older buildings may require electrical upgrades for L2 chargers, but more modern buildings likely won’t. Installing DCFCs often requires electrical upgrades for any type of property.

Funding

Currently, there are many government grants and utility rebate programs that can help you fund your EV charging installation. At Blink Charging, we have representatives in all regions of the United States who are well versed in all the available funding for the region they cover. This means we can help you locate funding opportunities and even help you with funding application best practices (although we cannot fill out funding applications on behalf of clients). 

To get a head start and conduct your own research about funding opportunities in your region, you may use the Blink Commercial Incentives Finder. With a few key items of information, it will tell you any funding programs you are eligible for. As new ones are popping up all the time, it is always worth it to speak to a Blink Charging regional representative to ensure you are getting the clearest funding picture. 

Business models

Blink Charging has four different business models that we offer for clients, which may also help you with the affordability of EV charging infrastructure installation. For the right locations, we offer turnkey solutions that require no upfront costs from the site hosts. 

The available Blink business models are: 

• Host Owned

• Host Owned Finance

• Blink Owned Hybrid

• Blink Owned (DCFC only)

You can see details about who pays for what in each model in the chart below. 

Opportunities abound

For forward-thinking commercial property owners, multifamily housing developers, and administrators of public land, the opportunities for revenue generation via EV charging – along with the opportunity to help grow the EV charging network across the nation – are numerous. 

As the BCG researchers have pointed out: “Thus far, there is a big vacuum to fill. Currently, only a tiny percentage of charger capacity worldwide comes from public facilities, although that number is growing. Clearly, the market for charging stations will grow dynamically, but opportunities for the public and private sectors will only be realized by quickly understanding what consumers want and delivering it to them on time.”

At Blink Charging, it is our job to help property owners and government administrators choose the best options for their specific EV charging needs. To speak with an EV charging expert in your region of the country, please call 1-888-998-2546 today.