The electric vehicle revolution is on a hockey-stick trajectory. In 2024 alone, more than 17 million new EVs hit the road worldwide — an impressive 25% increase over the previous year. This surge is more than just a milestone for clean mobility; it signals a turning point in the industry in which EV charging networks start to turn a profit. As EV adoption reaches critical mass, network operators must invest in their business and scale up to meet the growing demand for EV charging. But exponential growth doesn’t come without its share of growing pains. At Driivz, we wanted to better understand how EV charging network operators are navigating this transition from a cost-heavy investment into a profitable, scalable business, so we ran a survey and published a report which is now available for immediate download.
Powering some of the largest, most forward thinking EV charging networks in the world, we have a lot of data at our fingertips, but we wanted to go beyond the data and asked 300 industry professionals (who remain anonymous) for their thoughts. We wanted to know firsthand how the people in the business – industry leaders – perceive the challenges they are facing, how they are planning to overcome those challenges, and what they’re prioritizing to grow their business in 2025 and beyond.
Key Insights: There are obstacles in the road ahead for EV charging networks, but also pathways around them.
We embarked on this survey with some expectations about the answers we would get. In some cases, we came away saying, “Sure, we knew that.” But there were also some surprises. Here are some of the key insights from the 2025 State of EV Charging Network Operators survey.
Energy constraints at EV charging sites are the industry’s biggest challenge
For any business, you might expect factors directly related to profitability to be the greatest concern. Well, not quite. Maintaining high utilization of chargers (39%), and stability/reliability of the charger network (37%) were in 2nd and 3rd place. But the top challenge our respondents cited was energy constraints (46%).
Top challenges for network operators in 2025
But this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. It’s no secret that today’s electric grids in some geographies are already pushed to their limits, and with the surge in EV adoption (and other energy guzzling technologies), they can’t keep up with demand. Across key markets in the US and Europe, long wait times for electrical infrastructure upgrades are delaying new deployments and stalling business growth for EV charging networks. In fact, every single respondent indicated that grid capacity will be an impediment to their network’s growth in 2025.
The message from network operators is clear: without enough power, scaling up is an uphill battle. Fortunately, there’s a solution. With smart energy management, EV charging sites can accommodate up to 6 times as many chargers compared to unmanaged charging —without requiring any upgrades to their electrical infrastructure.
Success can lead to failure
As EV charging networks reap the fruits of success, they want to scale up and grow their business. But that’s when the limitations of their network hold them back. More than 80% of respondents admitted their current networks are only minimally or moderately scalable. That means even as they expand locations, they risk outgrowing the systems and platforms they rely on.
Scalability of the EV charging network
But scalability is not just about more sites and chargers. It’s also about handling:
- More drivers
- More roaming partners
- More transaction volume
And yet, between 45% and 61% of respondents rated their EV charging management platform to be only minimally or moderately scalable in those core areas. For EV charging networks experiencing such limitations, this is a red flag. With a platform that cannot support the exponential growth in EV adoption, their business success will quickly outgrow their capacity to sustain it.
Scalability of the EV charging management platform
Compatibility and OCPP compliance – not always what you expect
Great user experience is critical to fuel the growth in EV adoption, but EV charging networks still have a way to go in that regard. Drivers still complain bitterly about failed charging sessions. If you drive an EV, you’ve probably experienced getting to a public charging station and… nothing. You can’t charge up. Between the EV, the connector, the charging station, the CPMS in the back end, payment terminals, the internet, and multiple communications protocols, there are so many places where something can go wrong.
45% of operators identified vehicle-specific compatibility as the top cause of failed charging sessions. But no less frustrating is the fact that 39% flagged charger-specific OCPP compliance issues as a recurring technical headache. You’d think OCPP is a no-brainer, but the reality of an evolving mobility revolution is that compliance isn’t always 100%. Many of the EV chargers on the roads today have been around for a while, may not have the latest firmware, and some even come off the assembly line with “OCPP compliance glitches”. At Driivz, we have helped some of our customers overcome these issues with customizations to our platform, helping them provide drivers with a seamless EV charging experience. Interoperability, compliance with standards, and robust, reliable systems are key to successful charging sessions and happy drivers.
Issues preventing successful EV charging sessions for drivers
Operational excellence is still a top priority
When we asked where EV charging networks plan to invest in 2025 to provide drivers with a better charging experience, the answers were not around a driver app, customer support, or additional onsite services. Instead, they’re prioritizing the fundamentals. After all, given the frustrations drivers already face with failed charging sessions, it’s no surprise that optimizing operations (33%) is foremost in operators’ minds. They understand that a stable, available, and well-maintained charging network is essential to shaping how drivers perceive — and trust — a brand, recognizing that smooth backend operations lead to satisfied drivers and sustained revenue.
Scaling up both the number of public charging sites, and the number of chargers at each site also ranked highly, so it will be interesting to see how they resolve those aspirations with the limited scalability they believe that their network and CPMS can support.
Key investment areas for a better charging experience in 2025
EV charging networks in 2025 and beyond
As the EV revolution moves from early adopters to early majority, the EV charging industry must move fast to keep up and spur this growth that is beneficial to both EV charging networks and drivers alike. The 2025 State of EV Charging Network Operators report shows that the industry is maturing but is not immune to growing pains. Operators are working hard to build networks that are scalable enough to support the surge in EV adoption, and flexible enough to adapt to new technologies and business models. But they realize that the root of their success lies in operational excellence which will enable them to deliver the stability and reliability that drivers so badly want. That success also depends on making the right investments, from smart energy management to scalable EV charging management platforms that will support them as their business grows.
For deeper insights into EV charging professionals’ thoughts around challenges, strategies, energy management, business models and more, download the full report.
