While many electric vehicle owners will do most of their charging at home, there is a need for non-residential charging stations at workplaces, public areas, and for fleets. The report covers costs from purchasing, installing, and owning charging stations of different levels, features, and functions. In general, a wide range of costs was found depending on the type of charging station and features of the charger.

Three main types of chargers were studied: AC Level 1, AC Level 2, and DC Fast Charging. Each type requires different power supplies and has different charging times for vehicles. Other features considered in the report include the type of mount (wall mount, stand-alone pedestal), communication capability (communication with the grid, charging location and availability), point of sale functionality, energy management capabilities, access control, advanced display screens (for user communications, branding or advertising), retractable cords, and automated diagnostics systems.

The U.S. DOE study explored many different aspects of non-residential electric vehicle charging stations. The overall data that was discovered was the cost of a single port charging station ranges from $300-$1,500 for Level 1, $400-$6,500 for Level 2, and $10,000-$40,000 for DC fast charging. Installation costs varied greatly from site to site with an estimated cost range of $0-$3,000 for Level 1, $600- $12,700 for Level 2, and $4,000-$51,000 for DC fast charging.

The full report provides more detailed cost information by types of chargers, features, location, across the system lifecycle. For example, the report documents level 2 charging station installation costs across 13 regions within the U.S with labor costs creating most of the cost ranges. Average costs were between $2,100 and $4,600 with Washington D.C. coming in lower because most installations were wall mounted and Atlanta and California being highest because of the location of the stations and permitting costs.