Whitepaper “Charging Price as a Strategic Lever”: How Dynamic Tariffs Can Boost Utilization

Whitepaper “Charging Price as a Strategic Lever”: How Dynamic Tariffs Can Boost Utilization

• Price is the most important factor for EV drivers, outranking charging speed and convenience
• Up to +105% more charging sessions through targeted price campaigns
• Dynamic pricing is becoming a key strategic tool in the charging market

The public charging market is shifting: instead of focusing purely on expanding infrastructure, operators are increasingly turning their attention to optimizing the profitability of existing networks. A recent analysis by elvah, in collaboration with market research firm USCALE, shows that the charging price is by far the most powerful lever in achieving this.

The whitepaper “Charging Price as a Strategic Lever” demonstrates that strategically managing prices can significantly increase charging station utilization - sometimes more than doubling it.

Price outranks speed and convenience

The USCALE Public Charging Study 2025 shows that price accounts for 30% of the decision-making weight when choosing a charging point—more than charging speed (17%) or amenities like toilets (14%).

Along highways, price is the dominant factor in choosing a station. In urban areas, availability still matters, but price sensitivity is rising here as well.

This shift is driven by changing user groups: while early EV adopters were less sensitive to price, broader segments of the market—including early adopters and the early majority—now actively compare costs and respond strongly to pricing.

Three pricing strategies, three clear effects

To understand how price incentives work in practice, elvah analyzed three real-world campaigns:

1. Boosting traffic through low barriers – Vattenfall
A temporary price reduction at retail locations led to a 42% increase in charging sessions. Underutilized stations, sometimes previously “sleeping,” saw the largest gains. The ad-hoc discount likely attracted new users and revitalized weaker sites.

2. Driving loyalty through app-based offers – TEAG Mobil
A moderate, app-exclusive price reduction increased charging sessions by around 40%. The effect persisted beyond the campaign, indicating long-term customer retention. Exclusive tariffs strengthened ongoing engagement with existing users.

3. Aggressive pricing to shift the market – Audi
A radical price drop at the launch of a new Audi flagship charging hub more than doubled usage (+105%). It also caused significant market shifts: individual locations gained substantial market share quickly, establishing the new site at the level of established hubs.

From tariff to strategy

These findings make one thing clear: charging prices are no longer just a calculation—they have become a strategic management tool in a competitive market.

For Charge Point Operators (CPOs), this represents a paradigm shift. In a market where infrastructure is increasingly abundant, success is no longer determined solely by location or hardware—but by intelligent demand management.

Operators seeking higher utilization and profitability must implement flexible, location-specific, and data-driven pricing strategies.

The market is moving from static pricing toward dynamic pricing. In other words: every kilowatt counts in today’s competition.

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