“The EV charging business is largely a national business”
3 Questions for… Dr Axel Sprenger, Managing Director, USCALE
User Perspective on EV Charging in Europe, USA and China: Dr Sprenger’s topic on 27 May.
USCALE GmbH
In the run-up to the 5th International Conference ChargeTec, we asked Dr Axel Sprenger, Managing Director, USCALE, 3 questions. The conference will take place on 27 and 28 May 2025 in Munich, and Dr Sprenger is one of the speakers.
The focus of his presentation in the Bavarian capital will be on commonalities and differences in key markets as well as different needs and expectations leading to different behaviours.
ADT: What are the most critical user expectations that remain unmet across different markets?
Dr Sprenger: The classic hygiene factors of range and charging infrastructure remain important. Both are continuously improving, but at the same time, customer expectations are rising. The industry is therefore fighting an uphill battle when it comes to EV adoption and is currently making only slow progress.
That said, the demands of the next EV adopter segment, i.e. the mass market, are not yet being met. That is why we are seeing only very slow progress in the ramp-up of EVs.
How do cultural or regulatory differences influence user behaviour in EV charging?
Strictly speaking, cultural influences are minimal. However, practical constraints and use cases, which vary considerably from country to country, are important. Examples: driving distances and driving profiles, living situations (German and French EV drivers are more frequently living in detached houses, while Spanish and Italian drivers are more frequently living in multi-family homes) influence charging habits.
In addition, there are different payment preferences, which are related to habits and, in some cases, to network availability. The slower-than-expected ramp-up of electric mobility and regulatory hurdles are putting the industry under considerable pressure. The solutions offered are also less convincing and more expensive than expected. One example is vehicle-to-grid.
How does the Trump administration's tariff policy affect the global EV charging business?
The EV charging business is largely a national business. Planning is carried out centrally, with construction mostly taking place locally. The operation of charging infrastructure is an SaaS / cloud business. Also, the generation of the energy sold is independent of US tariffs.
As I see things today, only the charging hardware could be affected by tariffs. However, any necessary adjustments to supply chains and production sites in this still young industry are much easier than in the automotive or aviation industries, for example.
