DC Fast Charging Station Investment for Businesses: A Decision Guide

"Should I install a DC fast charging station at my business?" is no longer a question only for large charging operators; it is now on the agenda of shopping centres, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, car park operators and small fleet owners too. This guide reduces the decision to three basic questions: what will this investment bring my business? Which power class suits me? How do I move the process forward? Rather than promising exact prices or payback periods, we set out, in plain language, the framework you need in order to decide well.

Why now: what does a charging station bring your business?

The number of electric cars grows every year, and their drivers increasingly take charging into account when choosing where to go. On the business side this translates into two concrete values: drawing power and dwell time. A shopping centre, restaurant or hotel that offers charging is a step ahead of a competitor offering the same service in the eyes of an electric car driver; and the time the car spends charging is also time spent on the premises — time that often turns into spending.

Even so, expectations need to be set correctly: a charging station may not be a profit centre on its own at every business. The right approach is to position the station either as part of the customer experience or as a measurable item of additional revenue; we look at these two models separately below. At the decision stage, the healthy question is not "are charging stations fashionable?" but "how long does my customer stay here, and is that long enough for charging to make sense?"

AC or DC? The answer lies in the length of the visit

For a business owner, the technical difference between AC and DC charging comes down to one sentence: in AC charging the speed is limited by the converter inside the car (usually 7.4-22 kW); in DC charging the conversion happens inside the station, so far more power reaches the car and many times more energy is loaded in the same time. That is why the decision should start not from a product catalogue but from how long your customer stays.

• A visit shorter than 30 minutes (a stop-and-go point): only 80 kW and above offers a meaningful top-up in that time.
• A visit of 30-90 minutes (restaurant, supermarket, a tour of the shopping centre): DC 40-80 kW is the ideal range — the car takes on a significant charge while the customer finishes what they came for.
• A visit longer than 2 hours or an overnight stay (hotel, office, subscriber car park): AC 22 kW is enough in most scenarios; DC is complementary here, for urgent needs.

In short, DC fast charging is the tool for the business that says "my customer stays a short time, but the car should be full when they leave." Where long stays dominate, a mixed installation weighted towards AC and supported by DC is usually the more balanced investment.

Choosing the power: 40, 80 and 120+ kW — which business needs what?

When choosing a power class, look at three variables: the customer's typical dwell time, the turnover of electric cars in the car park and the power your existing electrical infrastructure can carry. The table below is a practical starting point for common types of business.

The 120 kW and above class belongs to motorway routes, high-turnover public stations and intensive commercial fleet scenarios. For most businesses the sensible strategy is to start with 40 or 80 kW and scale up once real usage data is in; OCPP-based management makes it easy to gather units added later under the same system.

Electrical infrastructure: the pre-check before you invest

DC fast charging stations run on a three-phase mains connection, and the station's power is drawn directly from your business's connection capacity. So there is a single question to answer before you place an order: can my existing electrical infrastructure carry this extra load?

• Connection / contracted capacity: when the station's power is added to the highest current consumption of the business, is the limit exceeded?
• Transformer and main distribution board: is the capacity enough for the extra load, and is there an outgoing way on the board dedicated to the station, with suitable protective devices?
• Cabling: the distance and cable route between the board and the station's location; the longer the distance, the higher the cost and the losses.
• Location: choose a parking area that suits vehicle manoeuvring and where the cable is easy to reach; stations with an enclosure rated for outdoor use can be installed in an open car park.

All of these checks must be carried out with an electrical engineer or an authorised installer qualified to prepare electrical projects. The process starts with a site survey; if the survey shows it is needed, an increase in connection capacity or renewal of the board is added to the investment plan as well. Because the infrastructure side varies from location to location regardless of the device chosen, asking for a quotation based on a survey is far sounder than a ready-made, one-size-fits-all offer.

The operating model: a free service or paid charging?

How you operate the station also affects the choice of device and software. There are three common models:

• A free customer service: charging is offered as part of the car park or the customer experience; the aim is not direct revenue but drawing power and dwell time. With RFID card or mobile app authorisation you can limit the service to your own customers only.
• Paid charging: a charge is made per use. This requires an OCPP-compatible station and charging management software connected to it; session records, pricing, reporting and remote management all run through that software.
• A mixed model: free or discounted for your own customers, paid for users coming from outside. RFID- and app-based authorisation makes this distinction technically possible.

The licensing and regulatory side of paid public charging is outside the scope of this guide; as you settle your operating model, we recommend consulting the competent authorities and advisers who specialise in the subject. On the technical side the rule is clear: if there is any chance of charging for the service later, choosing an OCPP-capable station today removes the cost of switching.

The installation process step by step

• 1. Site survey: the installation point, the existing electrical infrastructure and the power requirement are examined on site; the power class and the location become clear.
• 2. Design and permits: an authorised electrical engineer prepares the electrical project; if an increase in connection capacity is needed, the applications are made at this stage.
• 3. Infrastructure preparation: the cable duct and route, the board's outgoing way and protective devices, and the station's foundation are prepared.
• 4. Mounting: the station is fixed in place and the electrical connections are completed.
• 5. Commissioning: functional tests are carried out; the station is connected to the management software over Ethernet or 4G, and RFID cards and user definitions are loaded.
• 6. Going into service: with staff briefing, signage and a periodic maintenance plan, the station opens for use.

The timetable depends on how ready the infrastructure is: if the board capacity and the connection capacity are sufficient, the process is short; if there is work to do on a capacity increase or on the transformer, it takes longer. The survey stage clears up that uncertainty right at the start — which is why the most critical step of the process is the first one.

The Bemis BEVDC series: from 40 kW to 200 kW

Bemis's DC fast charging family, the BEVDC series, covers every scenario in this guide with power options of 40, 80, 120, 160 and 200 kW. The whole series uses the CCS2 connector, supports the OCPP 1.6J / 2.0.1 protocols, authenticates users with an RFID card or the mobile app, and connects to the management system over Ethernet or 4G. The input is three-phase AC 380-480V and the output is in the 150-1000V DC range; with an IP54 protection rating and an operating range from -25°C to +55°C, it is suitable for outdoor installations.

There is a graded path within the series: the BEVDC 40 is the compact entry model with a single CCS2 socket; the BEVDC 80 charges two cars at once with its dual sockets; the BEVDC 120 offers a single- or dual-socket option; the BEVDC 160 feeds two cars in its dual-socket configuration with dynamic power sharing; the BEVDC 180 offers the same dual-socket configuration at a higher power; and the BEVDC 200 is the flagship of the series. The 40 kW is also offered in a pole-type enclosure — preferred in car parks and field applications where no room can be set aside for a cabinet. You can look at the DC Charging Units page on our site for product details, and reach us through our contact page to choose the power and the model that suit your business; let us plan the process together, from survey to commissioning.