New innovation is on the horizon for EV users, as EVGo opens its first public prefabricated fast-charging station in the United States.  The prefabricated stations were introduced in late 2023 with the promise that they would reduce the installation time by 50% and construction costs by 15% compared to conventional solutions.

The first station is located at the Bay Colony Town Center in League City, Texas, and in addition to 350-kilowatt chargers, it also provides EV drivers with comforts like integrated parking lot lighting with energy-efficient LEDs and nearby trash receptacles. All prefabricated stations are expected to include 350 kW fast chargers and can incorporate features like Wi-Fi, lighting and security cameras, and integrated canopies. According to the photos, the chargers are supplied by Delta.

Later this year, EVgo intends to deploy several additional prefabricated stations. Some will be installed in Florida, Nebraska, North Carolina, and California. This is still an early phase of the project, but depending on the savings, in the future, it might become a big part of EVgo’s business.

Dennis Kish, the President of EVgo, said:

“The opening of our first prefabricated site is a testament to the innovation driving cost reductions and accelerating deployment timelines to scale our growth engine. As demand for public fast charging infrastructure continues to grow, we anticipate leveraging this model at eligible sites to quickly deploy charging stations across the U.S.”

EVgo’s fast-charging network currently has over 950 fast-charging locations with about 3,000 stalls across more than 35 states. According to the company’s recent quarterly report, it had more than 884,000 customer accounts at the end of 2023, including 366,000 added in 2023 and 110,000 in Q4 2023.

The network’s throughput for 2023 increased by 189% year-over-year to 130 gigawatt-hours, including a record 50 GWh in Q4 2023 (up 257% year-over-year). If we divide the 130 GWh by 950 locations, we get an average of nearly 137,000 kWh delivered per site in 2023, or 375 kWh per day per station.

This level of usage still needs to be improved to make EVgo profitable, but the growth rate indicates that things are looking up. In 2023, EVgo’s revenue reached $161 million (up 195% year-over-year), while the net loss was $135.5 million. In the fourth quarter, revenues amounted to $50 million, compared to a net loss of $36.6 million, showing that revenues are growing faster than costs.

An interesting finding is that 130 GWh of energy was dispensed in 2023, compared to 884,000 customer accounts, which means that an average customer used 147 kWh. Assuming that some accounts were not used, the real-world average of active customers might be higher, but in general, not higher than several charging sessions per year.