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Market for Plug-in Vehicle Chargers to reach $11.75 Billion by 2015

But will drivers of these electric cars, which need to be plugged into the electrical grid to recharge, find themselves running on empty when it comes to finding a robust charging infrastructure? The answer is a resounding “maybe.”

A new market study from ABI Research, “Plug-in Vehicle Infrastructures” projects a fast-growing market for charging station infrastructure, with worldwide revenues reaching $11.75 billion for the installation of 3 million charging stations by 2015, up from just over 20,000 stations installed in 2010.

The US leads this market, given the country’s strong purchasing power for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs), and the willingness of both public and private entities to invest in infrastructure build-out projects.

ABI Research projects the US will represent just over half (54%) of the world market of installed charging stations by 2015, followed by China (23%), which will have as many charging stations as the rest of the world (23%).

Research director Larry Fisher says, "Infrastructure supporting electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles is on the cusp of a rapid and sustained growth curve. The charging infrastructure technology is here. We’re just waiting for the release of these vehicles into the market. Given the limited range per charge, however, early adopters will need to keep their journeys relatively short.”

Fisher notes that significant funding and tax credits from governments around the world are likely to help jump-start the adoption of plug-in vehicles and related infrastructure projects, but the market’s ultimate success will be determined by consumers choosing to drive low- and zero-emission vehicles. "There is no doubt that EVs and PHEVs are coming to market, it’s just a question of when they will reach widespread acceptance. Once these plug-in vehicles go on sale, expect rapid development of public and semi-private infrastructure to follow.”

Plug-in Vehicle Infrastructures (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1004732) investigates the current state of the electric charging market, segmented into residential, semi-private and public markets, with forecast data on the number of stations installed from 2010 through 2015.

It is part of the Automotive Technology Research Service (www.abiresearch.com/product/service/Automotive_Technology_Research_Service), and NextGen, the ABI Research emerging technologies research incubator.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advise thousands of decision makers through 28 research and advisory services. Est. 1990. 

www.abiresearch.com