cwerdna said:
Well, Ecotality went bankrupt so clearly they couldn't come close to breaking even. And their new owner (CCGI) has amazingly bad losses. See http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=CCGI+Income+Statement&annual" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=CCGI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, keeping in mind those numbers are in thousands.
Launching a new business model is very challenging. As an early launcher, Ecotality had to spend to put an infrastructure in place before there were customers. Given the startup costs versus the number of EVs on the road in 2011 and 2012, any operation in this space would lose money for quite a while. Most start ups fail due to inadequate capitalization and not realizing how long and how much money will be lost in the initial start up period. Each year, as EV sales continue to grow, the market will start to look better. Of course, finding the right business model, i.e., monthly fees, per use charge, charge per x amount of energy, which locations to place evse's, etc.; will take time for the competitors to sort out. Also, as the market expands, economies of scale will bring down the per unit installation costs.
These challenges are surmountable with appropriate capitalization and competent management. Tesla has overcome tremendous obstacles for example. When the customer base does get large enough to profitably support charging networks, you will want to already be a dominant player. Of course there is the whole chicken vs. the egg debate as the network is important to getting enough acceptance of the EVs to get enough customers for the network to exist.
I for one intend to join any charging network that I find operating in my area as I want to maximize my flexibility in using my Leaf. And I will still save tremendous money versus driving an ICE. Right now, that is 3 competing networks (Blink, evGo, and ChargePoint). I suspect over time that will dwindle to 2. I hope it doesn't go to 1 as that could be a monopoly and then we could have other problems.
I believe that EVs are a vitally needed zero-emission transportation solution (not a complete replacement for ICE, but should become a major player). Therefore, a supporting infrastructure is also critically important. I wish these guess the best of luck.
FWIW - I also think the Level 3s at Starbucks would be an awesome idea. I am not a coffee drinker, but do go for tea. Level 3s at Starbucks would increase my visits/purchases.