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By 2030, it’s estimated that one in three cars sold will be electric. This shift will create opportunities and risks for parking owners who want to stay competitive, and it’s already transforming how parking facilities operate, attract customers, and generate revenue.
We see at least three major trends converging in 2025 and beyond: tax incentives for buyers are ending early, new regulations increasingly requiring EV charging capabilities in parking facilities, and customer habits are quickly shifting in the background.
Facilities that act now will benefit both from current demand spikes and the long-term shift toward electric vehicles. Those that wait will likely pay significantly more to meet charging demand while also competing for customers who already view it as standard. In this piece, we’ll review key trends shaping the EV market, including their potential effects on parking owners and driver expectations.
Before diving into market trends, it's worth examining what successful early adopters have learned so far.
Key insight: Successful facilities are moving beyond basic charging to create comprehensive EV experiences that drive customer loyalty and warrant premium pricing.
Forward-thinking facilities are retooling their customer experience around unique EV driver needs and behaviors. In just one example, premium shopping centers have installed high-speed charging in covered parking areas near entrances, often with dedicated concierge services. These facilities report that EV customers spend longer on-site and return more frequently.
Corporate campuses have integrated charging with employee apps, parking reservation systems, and even meal delivery to charging spots. The common thread among successful implementations? They treat EV charging as a customer experience enhancement, not an afterthought. These facilities also consistently plan for 3-5x their initial charging capacity, because demand grows faster than expected.
Patterns from successful early adopters:
Here's what you need to understand about the changing landscape and how to position your facility for success, starting with the sudden end of government support.
Key trend: Federal and state tax incentives are ending years ahead of schedule, creating urgency for both EV purchases and charging infrastructure installation.
Federal tax breaks are halting much sooner than expected, and this shorter timeline is driving a mid-year rush to buy electric vehicles now. The push is also squeezing what should have been gradual changes into a shorter period, forcing the realities of adoption and likely causing a dip in purchase activity later in 2025.
This shifted timeline affects car buyers today, but also carries implications for the broader network of equipment manufacturers, utility providers, real estate owners, and others who cater to charging needs.
Key insight: Current installation incentives can reduce costs by 30%, but many of these programs end alongside vehicle incentives in 2025.
Drivers aren’t the only ones losing their break on EVs as the cost to install charging equipment is also likely to rise. Current federal tax credits can offset up to 30% of installation costs, but these programs are designed to jumpstart the market, not provide permanent help. For example, while active incentives could reduce the cost of a $25,000 charging station installation to $17,500, the full price will probably jump ($25,000-$35,000+) when breaks end and demand drives up prices.
While tax incentives create immediate urgency, the underlying market trends appear to support long-term investment decisions.
Key trend: EV sales have stabilized into growth patterns that experts predict will continue even without government subsidies, signaling sustainable long-term demand.
Even without government support, mid-year projections now look more stable and realistic after years of shifting forecasts due to supply problems and policy uncertainty.
This stability matters for parking facility owners because it signals that EV adoption has moved past the wave of policy-driven purchases. A broader range of car models, better charging infrastructure, and increasing price competition could cause sales to rise as much as 20% in 2025.
But this demand isn’t evenly distributed geographically, and purchasing patterns reveal more about where to prioritize charging investments.
Key insight: Metro areas are experiencing 25-40% faster EV adoption, leaving time for smaller markets to prepare before competition intensifies.
EV adoption occurs differently across regions, which can help parking facility operators identify where to invest first. Urban concentration means facilities in high-EV areas face immediate pressure to add charging. Smaller markets are catching up as charging networks expand, but the progression follows predictable patterns. Those in emerging markets have a window to get ahead before competition increases.
Beyond market forces, legal requirements on charging capabilities could force the decision for many facility owners.
Key trend: EV charging requirements are shifting from voluntary to mandatory in building codes nationwide, with 15-30% of charging-capable spaces now required in new construction.
Emerging regulations are shifting the focus from whether to install charging to when it’ll be required. New construction and renovation projects increasingly must include EV charging infrastructure that treats electrification as essential. This change affects every aspect of facility planning and operations for most types of parking structures. Although the minimum EV charging requirements vary by location, they’re consistently trending toward higher capacity and faster charges.
Parking facility owners should consider how new regulations affect their investment approach. Key questions include:
Key insight: Parking facilities that invest for the long term will have an outsized competitive advantage over those that only meet minimum requirements.
Installing just enough charging to meet minimum requirements satisfies the law but provides limited opportunities for growth or differentiation. Going beyond the required capability costs slightly more upfront but creates better revenue opportunities through premium pricing, longer customer stays, and increased driver loyalty.
What does it look like to invest for the future?
The answer to this question largely depends on whether you’re building, renovating, or upgrading a facility.
Even if overall EV adoption in your region is still gaining traction, industry experts recommend planning for added capacity because retrofitting costs up to 8 times more than installing during new construction.
This example from Denver, CO shows just how steep the cost estimates can be to retrofit:
When upgrading your facility, it’s important to plan for growth with parking spaces that are operational, “ready,” and “capable.” Thoughtful renovations and electrical infrastructure upgrades won’t need to be repeated in the future.
Three levels of EV infrastructure readiness for parking:
Strategic overcapacity installation typically generates higher ROI than minimum compliance because it allows you to respond quickly to increased demand without costly electrical retrofits.
The codes and requirements vary significantly across cities and regions, but the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center maintains a comprehensive database of electricity codes and ordinances by state and locality, making it easy to research specific EV infrastructure requirements for your market.
Understanding regulatory and market changes is only part of the equation, and the other critical factor is how EV drivers behave differently as customers.
Key trend: EV drivers choose parking based on charging availability, speed, and network compatibility over traditional factors like price.
EV drivers have different needs, behaviors, and preferences that go beyond alternative fuels. Understanding how these preferences affect facility selection, usage patterns, and behaviors is critical for capturing a larger share of the high-value EV customer segment.
As EV adoption grows within any region, charging moves from an advantage to an expectation, and facilities with better charging experiences keep their edge through reliability, speed, and connected services.
The following sections take a closer look at two specific needs for EV drivers that will continue to change the parking market: parking discoverability and facility selection.
Key insight: How EV drivers look for and find parking will include new channels and introduce new competition from specialized apps and platforms.
EV drivers prioritize different factors when selecting parking facilities compared to traditional customers. Regular parking customers typically choose facilities based on factors like location, price, and convenience. EV drivers often care more about charging availability, speed, and network compatibility, often putting these criteria over traditional concerns like small cost differences or minor convenience trade-offs.
New channels present competitive dynamics, including competition from peer-to-peer charging platforms like PlugShare and ChargePoint. But parking facilities have several distinct advantages over the peer-sharing market.
Beyond marketing and discovery, EV drivers also value different physical parking facility characteristics than traditional customers.
Key insight: Protected parking will become a significant decision factor for EV drivers who want battery longevity and performance, supporting premium pricing.
In addition to availability and compatibility, EV owners also think about where their vehicle will be parked while charging - especially with destination charging in more extreme temperature zones. High temperatures accelerate battery degradation and reduce charging speeds, while extreme cold decreases range and increases energy consumption for climate control.
Covered parking provides substantial value because it shelters lithium-ion batteries from temperatures that reduce battery life, driving range, and charging efficiency.
This technical reality of EV charging supports premium pricing for concerned EV drivers.
Key trend: Investment in charging infrastructure, integration of smart technologies, and attention to regulatory requirements will differentiate the most successful operators.
While direct fees for charging are the most obvious way to generate income, other opportunities include increased occupancy and premium tenant attraction.
Key trend: EV charging increases dwell times and occupancy rates.
This shift is particularly valuable for facilities in commercial or retail real estate owners where longer stays translate to higher customer spending.
Key trend: Commercial and residential tenants with access to EV charging are willing to pay premium rates for reliable charging access.
Corporate sustainability initiatives pushing fleet electrification are also shaping this trend.
Below we’ve mapped these trends on a timeline, showing how they might affect real estate owners and parking operators in the near to long term.
