More electric vehicles (EVs) are on the road, and retailers need the right data to make decisions about whether to install EV chargers at retail sites and how to maximize the return on investment.

“The EV population is growing faster than the rate of growth of charging equipment. That means there are growing pockets of unmet charging demand throughout the United States,” said Karl Doenges, executive director of the Charging Analytics Program at the Transportation Energy Institute.

At the 2025 NACS State of the Industry Summit in Dallas last week, Doenges presented key findings from the Charging Analytics Program, which tracks 8 million charging sessions monthly across 35,000 sites, representing 63% of U.S. chargers.

According to Doenges, there are a few topline metrics retailers looking at EV charging should consider. The two most important are utilization rates and session counts.

“Session counts are very important because this is your bite of the apple—how many opportunities you have to convert EV drivers into the store while charging,” said Doenges. “With the average charging session taking 38 minutes, that is time that you can capitalize on generating inside sales, especially if you get the amenities right.” One of the most important amenities CAP has found for EV drivers? Bathrooms.

Other important findings include:

• Convenience stores near highway ramps have higher charging session counts, with 71% of direct current fast chargers in the TEI data set located within one mile of a highway ramp.
• The charger utilization rate for convenience stores is 12.6%, compared to 17.6% for the broader industry.
• EV chargers at retail locations are used more frequently on weekends and the hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Brand diversity is increasing. While Tesla accounts for almost half of EVs, Ford and GM are picking up market share.
• The majority of chargers in the c-store space are in the 100-300 kilowatt range, with the Tesla J3400 connector being the most common.
• Chargers with lower power levels (50-150 kilowatts) have lower utilization rates and longer session durations. “People don’t like the slower, weaker chargers, so they’re not using them,” said Doenges. “When they do use it, they’re stuck there longer, which means less people that can come through your site.”

But the data is very localized, Doenges cautioned. “EV adoption is hyperlocal, so your analysis of the EV charging market needs to be done at the county level,” he said. The CAP analysis evaluates counties by six key metrics, and retailers can find counties similar to theirs to benchmark against.

For more information on the Charging Analytics Program, check out “How Data Can Power Your EV Charging Strategy” in the December 2024 issue of NACS Magazine.

Doenges also explains the ins and outs of installing EV chargers at convenience stores in the Convenience Matters podcast episode, Is EV Charging Right for You?