INDUSTRY INSIGHT
EV charging: a new and growing opportunity for commercial building owners
The number of electric vehicles (EVs) on our roads continues to grow, and the way people think about charging is changing too. Elizabeth Warren, director of public charging at charging solutions provider, Mer, talks about how drivers’ expectations and habits have changed, and how that opens up a unique opportunity for commercial landowners
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hen people transition to an EV, they are often surprised by how different the process of charging is. With petrol or diesel cars (also known as internal
combustion engine or ICE vehicles), most people drive until they’re low on fuel, spend 5 minutes filling up in a petrol station, and carry on. But for electric cars, charging from empty can take a long time – even a fast charge can take 15 to 30 minutes to charge a car from 0-80%, depending on battery capacity and temperature. It’s why in practice; EV owners top up more regularly.
If you have space for a home charger, regular
charging is easy – plug in when you arrive home, and you’re always ready with a full tank. But if you’re heading further afield or are staying away from home for a longer period of time, then you’ll need to use public charging alternatives. Public charging has become an essential part of EV infrastructure, with most people using a charging station more than 10 times in a year, and many more EV owners who only ever charge on the public network. We’ve become used to seeing EV charge points in public places such as car parks and motorway services, but we’re now seeing them appear in almost all types of commercial site.
Taking advantage of the destination charging trend
We’re arguably still in the early stages of EV adoption – but the number of fully electric cars continues to grow. Nearly 1.5 million of the 34 million cars on the road today are EVs, and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) projects that by 2030 it will be 9 million. Nearly half (49%) of all EV charging is currently destination charging: where we choose to charge at a public location while we take part in other activities. The demand for destination
30 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER OCTOBER 2025
charging options will grow alongside EV usage, and this creates a real opportunity for commercial land owners and operators. EV charging hubs are not only revenue- generating by themselves, but also serve to make your business more attractive. When drivers are choosing a public charging location, our research shows that they are heavily influenced by the amenities available on site. Over 50% of EV drivers say they use charging time at a retail park to visit a restaurant or café, for example.
It’s not just local people who use public
charging hubs – they also provide a valuable service to longer distance travellers. Many people are increasingly choosing to break journeys at pubs and restaurants, tourist attractions or hotels, rather than a traditional motorway services.
So much so that businesses which don’t have a charging hub are arguably at a disadvantage. Household budgets remain tight and when customers do visit venues to spend their hard-earned cash, they can be highly influenced by additional factors such as the ability to charge while they’re there. It’s similar to buy-one-get-one-free thinking.
Charging hub: the essentials for commercial landowners
So if you want to install a charging hub on your land, without significant disruption, what are the factors you need to consider?
Good access to chargers: Whether you’re an out-of-town venue with plenty of onsite parking, or are in a more congested urban area, you’ll need to make your charging hub as easy as possible to access.
Chargers and speed of charge: The top factor in attracting people to a particular charging environment is the speed of charging that is available. A short dwell time will favour rapid chargers whilst an all-day or overnight car park may require fast chargers or a combination of both fast and rapid.
The number of charging bays: It’s important to install enough bays to meet demand, so people can reliably get a charging space, without there being so many that your resources are underutilised.
Highly reliable kit: We’ve all heard stories from EV drivers who’ve stopped at a location only to find the chargers out of order. This can quickly have a long-term impact on people’s habits – you need to deliver a consistently good experience to keep people coming back to your charging hub – and therefore your site or business.
User friendly equipment: Particularly if someone is travelling outside of their usual area, finding and accessing a new charging location can be stressful. Equipment should be easy to use and with clear instructions on the charger.
Good customer service: We all accept that, no matter how good your setup, sometimes people struggle – or things don’t work as planned. Your charging supplier needs to have a great customer service team so that customers can be happy with the support they receive.
The advantages of early buy-in
In increasingly difficult economic times, providing charging facilities at commercial locations can help you grow your business: you’ll see an increase in the time people spend with you as they wait for their cars to charge. If you don’t already offer EV charging, now is the time to invest. Consumers are quick to adopt habits, and slow to change them, so the earlier you become embedded in people’s routines, the greater the business value you can achieve. It’s also important to make sure you are offering an excellent customer experience, not only in terms of the charging environment you provide, but also in customer support. At Mer, our EV charging hubs provide a convenient way for electric vehicle drivers to charge. We help landowners and managers to leverage this golden opportunity to generate incremental revenue.
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