How to start a mobile ev charging business?
How to Start a Mobile EV Charging Business
Starting a mobile electric vehicle (EV) charging business requires a combination of technical readiness, operational efficiency, and policy support. Here are the key aspects to consider:
Technical Foundation
Technology is essential to a mobile EV charging business. DC fast-charging equipment, which can normally charge an EV in approximately an hour, must be installed in the charging vehicles. Assuming 1 RMB per kWh, the cost of electricity is roughly $0.14 per kWh. The vehicles must also be altered to improve their maneuverability in order to handle challenging road conditions in residential areas. This entails maximizing the turning radius and making sure the car can fit in confined areas where conventional charging infrastructure might not be available.
Operational Model
A mobile EV charging company’s operational model is made to be adaptable and quick to react. An intelligent dispatch system that can react swiftly to client requests makes a door-to-door service model possible. This system facilitates on-demand and remote services, especially in places like industrial parks and older residential communities that lack enough fixed charging stations. In order to optimize route planning and minimize idle time for charging vehicles, the intelligent dispatch system incorporates real-time traffic information, weather data, and historical charging data. Additionally important is a dynamic pricing strategy that lets prices change in response to supply and demand. Prices can be slightly raised during peak hours to guarantee availability and balance resource allocation.
Scenario Expansion
To meet a range of needs, mobile EV charging services can be extended into different contexts. Highway rescues and charging needs in remote locations are addressed by emergency charging, which is an essential service. In order to provide community services, mobile charging vehicles are deployed in older neighborhoods where fixed charging station installation is difficult in collaboration with property management firms. Partnerships with commercial districts, like shopping centers and office buildings, can provide exclusive mobile charging services, increasing the convenience of EV owners in these locations.
Policy Support
Policy support is vital for the success of a mobile EV charging business. Collaborating with grid companies and charging station operators can create a complementary network. For example, mobile charging vehicles can feed redundant electricity back into the grid, participating in peak shaving and valley filling, which helps stabilize the grid and promotes efficient energy use.
Detailed Expansion
An essential addition to the new energy vehicle charging system is the introduction of a mobile EV charging service, which uses mobile charging vehicles to deliver emergency charging for EVs with low batteries to homes or to the side of the road. It works especially well for problems like “range anxiety” and “insufficient charging station coverage.” A thorough explanation of how to execute this business from the standpoints of operational management, resource allocation, and business model design is given in the sections that follow.
1. Defining Service Positioning and Scenario Segmentation
The core value of mobile charging services lies in their “flexibility” and “emergency response.” It is essential to clearly define target scenarios and user groups to avoid direct competition with fixed charging stations.
Core Service Scenarios:
Emergency rescue is a critical scenario, targeting vehicles that have run out of power on the road (e.g., on highways, urban main roads, or within residential areas). This service provides roadside assistance-style charging, requiring high response speeds (typically within 30 minutes). Users in this scenario are often willing to pay a premium for quick service.
Specific location charging is another key scenario, providing temporary charging services at large events (e.g., concerts, exhibitions), temporary parking lots (e.g., holiday scenic spots), and older residential communities where installing fixed charging stations is difficult. This helps弥补 the lack of fixed infrastructure.
Customized business services can be offered to ride-hailing companies, logistics companies, or high-end vehicle owners. For example, providing上门 charging for停运 vehicles at night or exclusive预约 charging services at hotels or office buildings.
User Segmentation:
Emergency users have the highest priority, with needs focused on “quick charging to a drivable state” (e.g., charging to 30%-50% battery capacity to reach a fixed charging station).
预约 users prioritize convenience and are willing to accept longer wait times. They often expect a higher level of service体验, such as全程 visibility and contactless operations.
2. Core Resource Allocation: Vehicles, Equipment, and Power
Vehicle Selection:
The type of vehicle used depends on the service radius. For short-distance urban services, modified light trucks or vans are suitable. For long-distance cross-region rescue services, medium-duty trucks with longer range and stronger carrying capacity are necessary.
Modification requirements include reserving space for equipment installation (battery/generator, charging module), installing cooling systems to prevent overheating during charging, and ensuring compliance with road transport safety standards (e.g., load balance, fire protection devices).
Charging Equipment Configuration:
Energy storage-type vehicles are the mainstream option, equipped with large-capacity lithium battery packs (e.g., 200-500 kWh, capable of providing emergency charging for 3-8 ordinary EVs). These vehicles use onboard chargers (OBC) to output electricity, offering advantages such as low noise and zero emissions, making them suitable for urban areas. The downside is the high cost of energy storage batteries (e.g., 200 kWh batteries costing approximately $14,000-$28,000) and the need for regular recharging.
Generator-type vehicles use fuel/gas generators to generate electricity in real-time. The advantage is that they do not require pre-charging, making them suitable for remote areas or prolonged continuous operation. The disadvantages include high noise, emissions, restrictions due to environmental policies (e.g., banned in some urban core areas), and higher fuel costs.
Charging power is another consideration. For emergency scenarios, 60-120 kW fast-charging modules are preferred (capable of adding 50 km of range in 15-30 minutes) to avoid slow charging affecting turnover efficiency. For customized services, 30 kW slow-charging modules can be used for scenarios where vehicles are parked for extended periods.
Power Cost Control:
For energy storage-type vehicles, using off-peak electricity (e.g., $0.04-$0.07 per kWh) to recharge the onboard batteries can reduce basic electricity costs. Negotiating “charging station-specific electricity rates” with grid companies can further compress costs.
For generator-type vehicles, selecting diesel/natural gas generators with low fuel consumption (e.g., ≤0.2L per kWh) and bulk purchasing fuel can reduce costs.
3. Business Process Design: From Order Placement to Service Completion
User Access and Order Placement:
Online channels include developing independent apps/mini-programs (core functions: location sharing, battery level estimation, price inquiry, order tracking) or integrating with mainstream travel platforms (e.g., Amap, Baidu Map’s “charging station” section) or automaker apps (e.g., Tesla, NIO’s rescue service入口) to expand traffic sources.
Offline channels involve partnering with insurance companies (e.g., offering charging rescue as part of car insurance) or road rescue companies (e.g., collaborating with 122, 4S shops) to handle their assigned orders. Posting service phone numbers in communities and business districts can also attract older users.
Dispatch and Response Mechanism:
An intelligent dispatch system matches the optimal service vehicle based on user location, real-time vehicle position, and battery remaining, using algorithms to minimize idle time.
Response times should be tiered: emergency orders承诺 “30-minute arrival” in urban core areas and “1-hour arrival” in suburbs;预约 orders can be placed 2-24 hours in advance, with services provided at the agreed time.
On-Site Service Standardization:
Operational processes include confirming the vehicle model (to avoid interface mismatches) and charging requirements upon arrival, connecting the charging gun, initiating charging via the app, recording charging data (e.g., electricity量, duration, cost), and generating electronic bills post-service (supporting WeChat/Alipay payments).
Additional services may include providing common charging interface adapters (compatible with national standards, Tesla, NIO, etc.), emergency jump-start tools, and simple troubleshooting (e.g., addressing user errors causing charging failures).
4. Cost and Pricing: Balancing Profitability and Competitiveness
Cost Composition:
Fixed costs include vehicle purchase/modification fees ($21,000-$70,000 per vehicle, with energy storage-type costing more than generator-type), equipment depreciation (amortized over 5 years, averaging $2,800-$14,000 annually), labor costs (for drivers兼 operators, monthly salaries of $840-$1,400), and insurance and annual inspections (approximately $1,400-$4,200 annually).
Variable costs include electricity/fuel costs ($7-$28 per order, depending on charging量), vehicle maintenance (e.g., upkeep, repairs, approximately $0.07-$0.14 per kilometer), and platform commissions (if using third-party platforms, approximately 5%-10%).
Pricing Strategy:
For emergency orders, adopt a “basic service fee + electricity fee” structure. The basic fee (including door-to-door service) can be $7-$14 (covering one-way costs), and the electricity fee can be $0.35-$0.49 per kWh (higher than fixed charging stations, reflecting emergency value). For example, charging 20 kWh would cost approximately $14-$24.
For预约 orders, reduce the basic fee ($2.80-$7) and set the electricity fee at $0.28-$0.35 per kWh to attract users who plan ahead and balance vehicle dispatch efficiency.
Offer package deals for corporate clients (e.g., monthly packages of 10 emergency charges for $210) or individual users (e.g., recharge with discounts) to improve repeat business.
5. Compliance and Risk Control
Qualifications and Compliance:
Vehicle qualifications require modified charging vehicles to be registered with vehicle management agencies (changing the vehicle purpose to “special operation vehicle”) to avoid being deemed “illegally modified.”
Operational qualifications require a business license (with scope including “EV charging services” and “road rescue”). Some regions may require a “Road Transport Operating License” for commercial transport.
Safety standards necessitate charging equipment with 3C certification, equipped with fire extinguishers and leakage protection devices. Operators should undergo electrical training (holding low-voltage electrician certificates) to prevent safety incidents.
Risk Management:
Battery safety requires regular testing of energy storage batteries (every 3 months) to avoid overcharging or high temperatures causing fires. Battery thermal management systems should be installed to limit charging power in extreme weather (high/low temperatures).
Dispatch risks can be mitigated by using historical order data to predict peak periods (e.g., holidays on highways, weekday晚高峰) and pre-deploying charging vehicles in hot spots to reduce user wait times.
Competition risks can be addressed through differentiated services (e.g., 24-hour response, free 15-minute wait times) to build reputation, or by signing exclusive cooperation agreements with automakers and insurance agencies to secure customer sources.
6. Scaling and Long-Term Development
Fleet expansion should start with 3-5 charging vehicles covering core urban areas to validate the model before expanding to suburbs and surrounding cities, forming a regional network. When a single city’s fleet reaches 20 vehicles, a central dispatch center can be established to reduce management costs.
Technology upgrades may include introducing battery swap services for compatible models (e.g., NIO), reducing charging time from “1 hour” to “10 minutes,” and developing battery sharing systems to allow charging vehicles to utilize nearby idle energy storage batteries, improving energy efficiency.
Ecological collaboration involves partnering with parking lots and gas stations to set up “mobile charging vehicle驻点” (without additional rent, sharing profits based on orders). Integrating with new energy vehicle data platforms can provide early warnings for low battery levels, proactively pushing services to shift from “passive response” to “active service.”
In summary, the core of mobile charging services is “using flexibility to solve charging pain points.” It requires精细打磨 in equipment selection, dispatch efficiency, and pricing strategy, while ensuring compliant operations and risk control. As the number of new energy vehicles grows, especially in third- and fourth-tier cities and rural markets, mobile charging is expected to become an important supplement to fixed charging stations, offering broad market prospects.
