Avoiding the Electric Vehicle Incentive Trap

Joseph Nagle
October 3, 2022
Incentives in the EV industry are nothing new, in fact without incentives, the EV industry would probably look a lot different than it does today. However, not all incentives are created equally and if site owners are not careful they can fall into an incentive trap.

Incentives in the EV industry are nothing new, in fact without incentives, the EV industry would probably look a lot different than it does today. It's unlikely that electric vehicles would have grown as rapidly as they have without them, however, not all incentives are created equally and if site owners are not careful they can become a liability rather than a benefit. 

Incentives Driving Profits

The most obvious drawback with incentives is that many companies grow based on these incentive programs only to crash and burn when the money drys up. While the EV charging industry received another big boost from the Inflation Reduction Act, at some point these incentives will go away, and many of these same businesses will suddenly lack the steady stream of revenue they're used to. 

This is why Orange was created to be affordable with or without an incentive program.  We wanted to give customers the most affordable options possible regardless of incentives. This not only keeps customer costs down but also ensures that Orange will continue to grow long after these programs disappear. Often Orange is the more affordable and profitable option even without incentives with Orange incentive programs being merely a bonus.

The Hidden Liability of Incentives

Sometimes Incentives can be a trap for charging companies, but even worse they can also be a significant liability for site owners. The reason for this is actually rather simple, many incentive programs require site owners to maintain their stations for a set period of time, typically 10 years. At the outset, this seems fine as site owners are getting an asset for relatively cheap, and EV drivers will be using these stations a long time so they need upkeep. The problem is that many charging stations need some form of physical maintenance ie. replacing a charging cable within 3-5 years. These maintenance events can range anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand depending on the provider. Now imagine your property installed 20 stations and those maintenance costs start adding up quickly. 

This is why Orange was made to be not only incredibly affordable at the time of installation but also maintenance-free. By simplifying our products to be mere wall outlets we removed many of the failure points that typical charging stations have. Orange Outlets have been engineered and rigorously tested to ensure they last well past 10 years and even though we cannot 100% guarantee that nothing will happen to these outlets, it's highly unlikely that something will break by accident as everything is tucked securely inside. 

Maintenance-free Makes Profits Flow

Orange wanted to ensure that affordability was paramount for both the short and long term and by simplifying our stations we did just that. Site owners can rest easy knowing that not only are they getting the most affordable charging solution when they choose Orange but also gain an asset to the property rather than a liability. 

The biggest factor in creating the most affordable charging stations wasn’t just keeping costs to a minimum. It was also to ensure that our stations can easily achieve a positive ROI within a few years. We wanted to give site owners a real incentive to install charging stations, by giving them a path to profitability on the stations they own without gouging EV drivers. Today, Orange customers can expect an average ROI of 150% and a payback period between 5-8 years! 

With Orange, everyone wins.

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Incentives in the EV industry are nothing new, in fact without incentives, the EV industry would probably look a lot different than it does today. It's unlikely that electric vehicles would have grown as rapidly as they have without them, however, not all incentives are created equally and if site owners are not careful they can become a liability rather than a benefit. 

Incentives Driving Profits

The most obvious drawback with incentives is that many companies grow based on these incentive programs only to crash and burn when the money drys up. While the EV charging industry received another big boost from the Inflation Reduction Act, at some point these incentives will go away, and many of these same businesses will suddenly lack the steady stream of revenue they're used to. 

This is why Orange was created to be affordable with or without an incentive program.  We wanted to give customers the most affordable options possible regardless of incentives. This not only keeps customer costs down but also ensures that Orange will continue to grow long after these programs disappear. Often Orange is the more affordable and profitable option even without incentives with Orange incentive programs being merely a bonus.

The Hidden Liability of Incentives

Sometimes Incentives can be a trap for charging companies, but even worse they can also be a significant liability for site owners. The reason for this is actually rather simple, many incentive programs require site owners to maintain their stations for a set period of time, typically 10 years. At the outset, this seems fine as site owners are getting an asset for relatively cheap, and EV drivers will be using these stations a long time so they need upkeep. The problem is that many charging stations need some form of physical maintenance ie. replacing a charging cable within 3-5 years. These maintenance events can range anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand depending on the provider. Now imagine your property installed 20 stations and those maintenance costs start adding up quickly. 

This is why Orange was made to be not only incredibly affordable at the time of installation but also maintenance-free. By simplifying our products to be mere wall outlets we removed many of the failure points that typical charging stations have. Orange Outlets have been engineered and rigorously tested to ensure they last well past 10 years and even though we cannot 100% guarantee that nothing will happen to these outlets, it's highly unlikely that something will break by accident as everything is tucked securely inside. 

Maintenance-free Makes Profits Flow

Orange wanted to ensure that affordability was paramount for both the short and long term and by simplifying our stations we did just that. Site owners can rest easy knowing that not only are they getting the most affordable charging solution when they choose Orange but also gain an asset to the property rather than a liability. 

The biggest factor in creating the most affordable charging stations wasn’t just keeping costs to a minimum. It was also to ensure that our stations can easily achieve a positive ROI within a few years. We wanted to give site owners a real incentive to install charging stations, by giving them a path to profitability on the stations they own without gouging EV drivers. Today, Orange customers can expect an average ROI of 150% and a payback period between 5-8 years! 

With Orange, everyone wins.