How to Design EV Charging Sites for Efficient Growth

Transportation Electrification Series | StrategEV Analysis

As EV adoption continues to grow, many organizations are moving beyond the question of whether to install charging and instead asking how to design charging sites that can scale efficiently over time.

EV charging sites are long-term infrastructure assets. Decisions made during planning and design often determine how easily a site can expand, how reliably it operates, and how well it serves drivers years down the road. Across the Transportation Electrification series, StrategEV has explored best practices around charging strategy, amenities, vendor selection, and operations. This article brings those elements together into a practical framework for designing EV charging sites that are built for efficient growth.

1. Start With the Use Case and Desired Level of Service

Every successful charging site begins with a clear understanding of who the site is meant to serve and what level of service is expected.

Public charging sites, fleet depots, and MUD installations all place different demands on infrastructure. In many mixed-use scenarios, a single site may support public users during the day and fleet vehicles after hours, with each group having different expectations around access, availability, and reliability.

Key questions to define early include:

• Who will be charging and at what times
• How critical charging availability is to daily operations
• Whether charging is offered as a service, a revenue stream, or both
• What uptime and responsiveness expectations exist

2. Site Layout and Physical Design for Scalability

Physical layout is one of the most overlooked elements of scalable charging design.

Well-designed sites consider not only today’s charger count, but also how vehicles move through the space, how future chargers might be added, and how different vehicle types will interact with the site over time.

Important layout considerations include:

• Stall placement and intuitive traffic flow
• Adequate spacing for different vehicle sizes
• ADA accessibility and clear access paths
• Cable reach and charger positioning
• Reserving space for future chargers and equipment

3. Electrical Infrastructure Planning With Expansion in Mind

Electrical infrastructure planning is often the single biggest determinant of how easily a charging site can grow.

Designing only for the initial phase of deployment may reduce upfront costs, but it can significantly increase risk and expense if future expansion requires major electrical upgrades.

Best practices include:

• Right-sizing electrical service early, even if not fully utilized initially
• Planning panel capacity, conduit runs, and transformer space for future chargers
• Coordinating with utilities early to understand long-term capacity options
• Considering phased deployment strategies for public, MUD, and fleet sites

Electrical infrastructure is often one of the largest upfront cost drivers in charging deployments. When not planned properly, it can become a significant long-term cost risk as sites attempt to expand.

How StrategEV Can Help

StrategEV works with public agencies, fleets, and property owners to design charging sites with growth in mind. From early-stage site planning and electrical strategy to evaluating phased deployment options, we help clients balance near-term budgets with long-term scalability so infrastructure investments support future demand rather than limit it.

4. Designing for Experience: Amenities, Signage, Lighting, and Visibility

Charging sites that are technically sound but poorly designed for people often struggle with adoption and utilization.

For public and MUD charging sites, experience-focused design plays a major role in driver confidence and repeat usage.

Key considerations include:
• Amenities such as restrooms, food, Wi-Fi, shade, and shelter
• Clear signage and wayfinding from the street and throughout the site
• Well-lit charging areas to improve safety and comfort
• Charger visibility to reduce first-time user friction

For fleet sites, experience-focused design often looks different but is just as important. Thoughtful design can reduce friction at the end of a shift or during short breaks.

Fleet-focused considerations include:
• Easy access to charging cords and vehicle ports through stall and charger placement
• Clean space markings, guides, and numbering for repeatable parking
• Minimizing time and effort required for drivers to plug in when clocking out or returning to service

5. Designing for Operations From Day One

Operational challenges rarely stem from technology alone. More often, they trace back to design decisions that did not fully account for day-to-day realities.

Designing for operations includes:

• Ensuring chargers are accessible for maintenance
• Planning space for service vehicles and technicians
• Setting clear expectations for uptime and response times
• Aligning software, monitoring, and reporting with operational needs
• Planning for spare parts availability to support uptime and reliability

Spare parts planning is often overlooked but plays a critical role in site performance. Waiting weeks for replacement components can negatively impact uptime, revenue, and user trust across public, fleet, and MUD applications.

Conclusion

Designing EV charging sites for efficient growth requires more than selecting chargers and installing electrical service. It requires a holistic approach that brings together use-case clarity, scalable layout, thoughtful electrical planning, experience-focused design, and operational readiness.

Across the Transportation Electrification series, these elements have been explored individually. When combined during site design, they form a strong foundation for charging sites that can adapt as demand grows, technology evolves, and expectations change.

How StrategEV Can Help

StrategEV supports fleets, public agencies, and private site hosts in designing EV charging sites that are built for growth. From early planning and layout design to infrastructure strategy, vendor evaluation, and operational planning, we help organizations create charging sites that perform reliably today and scale efficiently over time.