Public EV charging points in a metro city
By MECE Editorial TeamEditorially reviewed for consulting-curriculum accuracyUpdated 1 June 2026Our scoring methodology →
moderate
5 min read
first-principles
Estimate the number of public EV charging points needed in a metro of ~10 million people. Build from demand, not from a number you half-remember.
1
Vehicles
~10M people, ~3.5 per household → ~2.8M households. Assume ~30% own a car → ~0.85M cars.
2
EV share
Assume ~10% are EVs today → ~85,000 EVs.
3
Charging need
Most charge at home; assume ~40% rely partly on public charging → ~34,000 EVs needing public access.
4
Throughput
One public point serves ~8–10 charging sessions/day. If each such EV needs ~2 public sessions/week → ~9,700 sessions/day citywide.
5
Points
~9,700 sessions/day ÷ ~9 sessions/point/day ≈ ~1,100 public charging points.
0.85M cars × 10% EV = 85k EVs → 40% public-reliant ≈ 34k → ~2 sessions/wk ≈ 9.7k/day ÷ 9 per point ≈ ~1.1k points.
How to defend it
State every assumption out loud and flag the two that move the answer most (EV share and public-reliance %). Offer a sensitivity: double EV share → ~2,200 points.