Kempower North America Study: Charging Station Plug Count Impacts Utilization Far More Than Total Power, 8-Plug Sites Deliver Double the Energy

Plug Count Impacts Utilization Far More Than Total Power

Finnish electric vehicle charging equipment manufacturer Kempower recently released findings from an analysis of public charging stations in North America, revealing that the number of plugs has a far greater impact on site utilization than total installed power. The study found a correlation of 0.63 between plug count and utilization, while the correlation between total power and utilization was only 0.228, with the former being roughly three times the latter. Specifically, sites with 8 plugs delivered an average of 128,342 kWh, whereas 4-plug sites averaged just 61,453 kWh, with the former more than doubling the latter.

Jed Routh, Vice President of North America Market and Product at Kempower, stated that the challenge for public charging has shifted from merely deploying power to optimizing infrastructure utilization. He explained that by increasing the number of plugs and dynamically distributing available power, operators can more effectively enhance the overall efficiency of charging stations. This perspective is validated by Kempower’s distributed charging system, which uses ChargEye cloud software to connect multiple plugs to a centralized power unit and dynamically allocates power in 25 kW increments based on real-time vehicle demand.

Distributed Charging Systems Boost Utilization by 83%

Kempower’s distributed charging system allows a single vehicle to receive up to 320 kW of power when capacity is available. If a vehicle’s charging power drops from 250 kW to 100 kW, the system can reallocate the excess power to other vehicles, preventing resource waste. Data from the study shows that sites using distributed charging systems achieved an average utilization rate 83% higher than those with traditional fixed-power dispensers. Kempower further noted that when all plugs are occupied, an available power of approximately 100 kW per plug represents the optimal balance, meaning operators do not need to equip each plug with the grid capacity required for maximum power. Instead, they can flexibly distribute available power to serve more drivers.

These findings align with the experiences of electric vehicle drivers. Assuming an average charging session lasts 25 minutes, a site with 20 plugs would free up a charging spot every 75 seconds, while an 8-plug site would take nearly 200 seconds. Sites with more plugs are less affected by the failure of individual chargers and, during off-peak hours, drivers are more likely to access higher charging power with less power-sharing. However, Kempower’s study did not disclose the number of sites analyzed, the observation period, or the methodology for calculating utilization. It also did not clarify whether variables such as location, traffic flow, site age, pricing, and reliability were controlled. While the correlation between plug count and utilization is evident, the direct causal relationship between the two still requires further validation.

Dynamic Power Allocation Emerges as Future Trend

Routh emphasized that charging stations do not need to provide peak power to every vehicle simultaneously, as vehicles do not maintain maximum power throughout the charging process. By dynamically allocating power, operators can enhance service capacity without expanding costly grid connections. Kempower’s findings offer new insights for the planning and operation of public charging stations but also highlight the importance of data transparency. In the future, greater disclosure of research details would help the industry more comprehensively assess the relationship between plug count and utilization, providing a stronger foundation for optimizing charging infrastructure.

Currently, Kempower’s distributed charging system is deployed at multiple sites across North America and continues to monitor operations through the ChargEye cloud platform. As the electric vehicle market grows rapidly, improving charging station utilization and service quality will become a focal point for the industry. Kempower’s research provides a valuable reference for this issue, though further empirical data will be needed to validate its broader applicability.

Kempower North America Data Reveals: Number of Charging Plugs is Key to Utilization, 8-Plug Sites Deliver Over Twice the Energy of 4-Plug Sites

Plug Count Impacts Utilization Far More Than Total Power

Distributed Charging Systems Boost Utilization by 83%

Dynamic Power Allocation Emerges as Future Trend

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