COMEX copper set record highs above $6.70 a pound in late summer 2026, and charging-cable theft kept accelerating with it: Hydro-Québec reportedly saw copper thefts against its charging network more than double in the first half of 2026 versus the first half of 2025, and Electrify America's own 2024 numbers already showed cable cuts running well ahead of prior years. A cut DC fast charging cable often costs $2,000 or more to replace, against a thief's scrap-yard payout of roughly $15 to $20 per cable. Four real prevention layers exist: cut-resistant cable construction, tamper-detection alarms, cable-free charging models, and site design, plus making sure your property policy actually covers the loss before you find out it doesn't.
Updated Oct 202611 min read
A Charging-as-a-Service contract is a lease dressed up as a partnership: the provider owns the hardware, keeps most of the revenue, and often locks you in for five to ten years or longer. The terms worth negotiating are the revenue share, whether a minimum guarantee applies, what happens if the provider underperforms or is acquired, and who ends up owning the equipment when the contract ends. No vendor pitch deck volunteers the hard version of any of those answers.
Updated Oct 202613 min read
Commercial EV charging maintenance is really three separate cost lines, not one guess number: network and software fees ($100 to $400 per port per year for Level 2, a rough planning range of $600 to $2,400 for DC fast), extended warranty or service contracts (up to about $400 per Level 2 port per year, over $800 for DCFC, more for comprehensive contracts), and unplanned repair costs, where a basic truck roll to power-cycle a stuck charger is typically quoted by vendors at $500 to $700. An 8-port Level 2 site typically budgets $5,000 to $6,000 a year in upkeep; a 4-port DCFC site typically budgets $13,000 to $16,000.
Updated Oct 202610 min read
Standard commercial property and liability policies were not written for EV charging. Property owners who host chargers take on fire, environmental, cyber, and theft exposures that often fall through coverage gaps, and the operating model they pick decides how much of that risk stays with them.
Updated Oct 202621 min read
Own-and-operate gives you maximum revenue and full control but requires capital, management attention, and operational responsibility. Turnkey operators absorb cost and management in exchange for most of the revenue. Hybrid revenue-share models split the difference. The model you choose also decided who could claim the 30C tax credit, which mattered while the credit was available; that federal credit ended June 30, 2026. Turnkey or hybrid is a common starting point for a first installation.
Updated Oct 202612 min read
Commercial EV charging pricing should follow your business model. Per-kWh is the fairest method and is now legal in nearly every state, though some state carve-outs come with conditions. Do not assume per-minute pricing is a lawful fallback: where a state has adopted the NIST method-of-sale rule, electricity as vehicle fuel must be sold by the kWh, with time-based fees limited to separately disclosed parking or overstay charges, so confirm your state's rules before picking a method. Flat session fees suit predictable dwell times; free charging is an amenity cost. The practical target is a rate that covers your electricity cost plus operating overhead while staying competitive with nearby options.
Updated Oct 202613 min read
Commercial EV charging software handles session management, billing, access control, load management, and reporting. Major platforms include ChargePoint, Blink, EVgo, EV Connect, AmpUp, and Driivz, and they differ more in business model and support than in raw feature lists. Matching, certified OCPP support can improve portability, but migration is not guaranteed; proprietary systems lock you in outright. Evaluate on interoperability, reliability, total cost including per-port and transaction fees, and load-management capability, not on feature checklists alone.
Updated Oct 202611 min read