DNAinaGoodWay wrote:For the near future, I think most of their revenue is coming from OEM promotions, like NCTC, and other, similar programs. People paying cash are just incidental. For my very occasional use, it's worth it as I want a fast charge at a good location, and they usually have two per site so there's backup if one is down. I can amortize the cost, and I'm happy to help show there's demand, so they build even more. But I'd sure like to see more lower cost ChargePoint units.
This is exactly my take on the situation too.
Programs like NCTC can be a great way to assure revenue for these networks. And then the OEMs don't have to build their own proprietary network like Tesla did. Unfortunately this method is taking longer to get off the ground. If it does, it will be truly game-changing due to the openness to all makes of cars.
I would use a QC on average 2-4 times per month. I would pay these prices for now to show demand. The hope is that as networks grow, so does competition. There is no way they can charge $22/hr if there is a ChargePoint nearby charging $5/hr. Once the market hits critical mass, free market competition can take over. Until then, there is no guarantee that we will ever get to critical mass.