Edison

Evenlode Edison will provide a “site-specific” forecast of how many motorists in an area will need charging facilities over five, 10 or 15 years

A service to help forecourt operators decide whether to invest in electric vehicle (EV) charging is being offered by specialist property consultancy Evenlode Roadside.

The Bicester-based firm says its Evenlode Edison “demand model” will provide a “site-specific” forecast of how many motorists in an area will need charging facilities over five, 10 or 15 years. It will also predict likely “dwell time”, which increases opportunities for cross-selling convenience, valeting or other retail services.

“Edison will help to give any retailer the answer to one of the most lively debates facing the industry – to install or not to install EV,” says Evenlode Roadside director Philip Reese.

The firm says that while some forecourts will be suited to becoming profitable charging destinations, “this might not be true for all sites”. It adds: “The key to planning the next 20 years of your site retail provision will be knowing the charging demand at each location.”

Reese has teamed up with industry consultants Paul Muncey and Ramsay MacDonald to sense check the package and to overlay forecourt behaviours. “All three of us sat on many, many calls and meetings with developers and we are pleased with the result,” says Reese.

Evenlode Edison, which was announced at November’s APEA Live in Milton Keynes, uses data such as uptake trends of EVs, their likely presence on local roads, the availability of alternative home-based or local charging, typical journey profiles, and vehicle battery capacities. “The assessment is definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach,” says Evenlode Roadside.

The firm worked on the product with Cenex, a not-for-profit research organisation that focuses on low emission transport, to adapt its data for the forecourt sector.

The report uses various forms of data which is licensed. This includes: EV vehicle uptake, by region, various chargepoint registries, details about home charge ability, local authority charging availability, journey types, traffic flows, vehicle types and battery capacities, driver behaviour studies.

Reese says: “We could see lots of energy and desire to deploy as many chargers as possible, and as quickly as possible, but very little science or methodology to decide what and where, so we spoke with Cenex, who are the independent global experts in low emission transport.

“They have a huge repository of information available but they had no knowledge of the fuel sector. We put our heads together to create a model specifically designed for petrol stations,” Reese explains.

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Philip Reese has teamed up with industry consultants Paul Muncey and Ramsay MacDonald to launch service

Edison will identify demand for charging sessions, and therefore how many chargers and at what speeds are needed. These factors influence the sales opportunities to generate a return on investment, from the chargers, and also the amount of likely dwell time which can lead to opportunities for cross-selling in the convenience store, valeting or other retail offers, says Reese.

Paul Muncey adds: “Having spent the last three to four years looking at EV from the installation side, I am really enthused about this project. This really does help everyone get a more optimal solution and to guide their investments”.

Ramsay MacDonald agrees: “Customer behaviours are often overlooked in the current charging landscape. If you have little space on site you might need to think about super-fast chargers to get customers in and out. However, for other sites maybe it’s about trying to replicate how we approach phone charging. A wee bit of charge to help get us on the way, or get home, is sometimes all you need, rather than charging to 80% or beyond and it’s about how you adapt and communicate that offer to maximise profit.

“On large transient sites, restricted dwell time is less of an issue typically – you want to encourage customers to come in, sit down and have a coffee, maybe to buy from the store or to catch up with e-mails. The longer the dwell time the better. It’s all about revenue, investment costs and payback.”

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