But before we cross the threshold into the new year, let’s take a look at some of the key EV trends defining the market and reshaping the journey toward zero-emission mobility.
Electric vehicle technology trends
More EV models
Tax benefits in many countries are spurring EV markets and electric vehicle trends. For example, in the U.S. businesses and individuals can qualify for up to a $7,500 credit for new, qualified plug-in EV or fuel cell electric vehicles. With more EV demand, manufacturers have developed new models. In 2023, the number of available models for electric cars increased 15% year-on-year to nearly 590, and could reach 1,000 by 2028. Tesla remains a global market leader but faces stiff competition from Chinese EV manufacturers, especially BYD.
Better convenience
The new fleet of EVs coming out in 2025 is much different from those of just a few years ago. After a series of innovations, users have a much more convenient driving experience to look forward to. Early EVs struggled to achieve 100 miles on a single charge, but many modern EVs can travel 200 to 300 miles or more after a full fuel-up. With electric motor improvements, these vehicles can also accelerate just as well, or even better, than traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) models and reach comparable highway speeds.
Also like all vehicles, electric cars are getting smarter. Modern EVs often come equipped with sophisticated advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that allow adaptive cruise control, assistance with staying in a lane and automatic emergency braking. EV drivers can also receive remote software updates to add features and fix issues without having to go to a dealership. In fact, many EVs now come with their own smartphone apps that allow owners to monitor charging, locate charging stations and control climate settings.
Battery technology trends
Faster charging
Much of the advancements in electric cars are due to innovative battery technology. For example, advancements in battery chemistry and charging infrastructure have significantly reduced charging times. Many of today’s EVs can charge to 80% capacity within a half an hour to an hour with a DC fast charger. Researchers are continuing to study how to make it easier for lithium ions to move within a cell to reduce crowding and evaluating different electrodes, solvents and additives that could further speed up the charging process.
Longer ranges and life
Modern EV batteries also have a much higher energy density that enables driving longer ranges without increasing the battery size or weight. Along with affordability, range anxiety is another common inhibitor of EV adoption. Today’s EVs are also more robust with longer lifespans. The average EV can now last eight to fifteen years, or about 200,000 miles, without experiencing significant degradation, depending on weather conditions. Advanced battery management systems are helping to better control charging and discharging to prevent cell damage.
Improved battery recycling
Lithium-ion batteries lose a fraction of their total capacity with every cycle. But an EV battery doesn’t have to be destined for the landfill once it’s past its useful life in a vehicle. Used batteries still maintain 70-80% of their capacity after they’re retired, making them well-suited for other applications such as in battery energy storage systems (BESS). Typically, the weakest cell in an EV battery storage unit pulls down the available capacity of the entire battery pack so that healthy modules can not be used to their full potential. This limits economic efficiency and ROI. But improved technology from Sparkion allows bypassing weak cells to generate more energy per cycle. The weakest cell only affects the specific battery modules and not the entire pack. This technology can increase capacity and reduce the BESS cost-per-kWh by as much as 60% while cutting CapEx cost to half of competitive solutions.
With a steady supply of their own EV stock, battery owners such as fleet operators have the most to gain from second life EV batteries. Instead of discarding or recycling these batteries elsewhere, fleets can repurpose them for their own lower-cost, higher-value BESS applications. This not only extends the batteries’ useful life but also reduces the need to purchase new batteries for energy storage, significantly lowering costs and environmental impacts.
The volume of second life batteries is forecasted to skyrocket after 2030. Most battery packs are expected in China, followed by Europe, the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Renewable energy trends
Growing deployment
Renewable energy penetration continues to increase, especially solar. Global solar PV annual installations grew by more than 80% in 2023 compared to 2022. China led the way, contributing over 60% of global installed capacity in 2023. Europe’s capacity grew by more than 40% while U.S. capacity increased by 51%.
This progress is largely spurred by tax benefits and decreasing costs. The average PV system cost fell between 2010 and 2023 due to the widespread availability of materials, which reduced production expenses. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was a historic piece of legislation implemented in the U.S. in 2022 and preserves and establishes tax credits for renewable energy and storage. Europe’s tax credits, financing mechanisms and other incentives also continue to drive its renewable energy development as well.
Integration with EV chargers
With strong emphasis on reducing emissions and decreasing system costs, solar energy is increasingly used to power EV charging stations. Electrifying transit with clean energy is helping to reduce reliance on fossil fuels while providing a number of benefits for charge point operators (CPOs). Renewable energy is the cheapest form of power. Producing onsite renewable energy can significantly reduce electricity costs and increase profit margins per session by lowering the cost per kilowatt hour from that of wholesale energy. By generating clean energy onsite, CPOs can offset the electricity they would otherwise purchase from the grid, resulting in long-term cost savings.
Also, onsite renewable energy generation can reduce grid reliance. Batteries coupled with renewables can increase the resiliency of a site by islanding (disconnecting from the grid) through grid outages. Periods of ample renewable energy production may allow operating charging stations independently, enhancing a network’s reliability. Not to mention, powering EVs with renewables demonstrates a commitment to sustainability, which resonates with environmentally conscious EV users.
EV charging trends
Increasing infrastructure
EV charging infrastructure is rapidly increasing to support growing EV adoption. For example, in the emerging U.S. electric vehicle market, the number of EV charging ports in the Department of Energy’s Station Locator grew by 4.6%, or 8,825 EV charging ports, in the first quarter of 2024 alone. The most substantial growth was in the Northeast region, but California continues to be the leader in the number of public EV charging ports.
The U.S. electric vehicle charging infrastructure market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 30.3% from 2025 to 2030 to reach more than $24 billion. Main market drivers include growing environmental concerns and rising demand for sustainable and energy-efficient transportation. Meanwhile, communication innovations that offer real-time charging station information for improved connections will also accelerate market development.
Europe’s more mature EV market is also seeing EV infrastructure increases influenced by the European Commission’s target of reaching 3.5 million charging points by 2030. Considering the EU had more than 630,000 at the end of 2023, it will need to add over 410,000 new points annually to achieve that target. Europe is also incentivizing development through its Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) program to support supply infrastructure along the EU’s trans-European network for transport (TEN-T). Projects are chosen through a call for proposals. The total budget for this call amounts to EUR 1 billion for eligible projects. Those interested can submit for this call before two upcoming dates: 11 June 2025 or 17 December 2025.
Smart energy management
Easier integration with smart grid infrastructure, bi-directional charging capabilities and advancements in charging software and hardware are furthering charging infrastructure benefits for both drivers and charge point operators. Energy management systems are helping to make fueling stations more reliable and profitable through a variety of use cases.
A smart energy management system can allow communication and control among site devices optimizing energy deployment and energy consumption. EV smart energy management systems consist of several components including sensors and meters, controllers and cloud-based software. All of these components work together in an EV energy management platform to provide optimized, automated control of all site assets. A few examples of use cases include:
- Load shifting: Employ a cost-effective charging schedule with load shifting. Charging batteries from the grid can cost more during some times than others. Load shifting involves strategically using grid energy considering time-of-use rates to reduce and manage electricity expenses.
- Load management: An EV automatic load management system can communicate with individual EV chargers and enable load sharing by intelligently distributing the power demand based on charging status, electricity requirements and available capacity. Optimizing available power resources ensures efficient and reliable operation.
- Load forecasting: Understanding when a site uses the most electricity is critical for avoiding demand charges and high utility bills. Energy load forecasting, combined with the ability to control power flow among site assets, enables more efficient, economic and sustainable energy usage that can reduce operational costs and inform capacity planning.
- Peak shaving: Optimizing charging operations can minimize utility energy demand charges by using resources more efficiently. Lowering peak demand can reduce operating costs. Aligning charging operations with grid conditions allows adjusting the charging rate or scheduling charging sessions to avoid fueling during peak periods. Peak shaving also allows efficient allocation of electrical power to charging stations. More evenly distributing charging load throughout the day optimizes existing electrical infrastructure.
- Demand side management: From electric vehicle charging stations to C-stores, electricity demand is in every direction on an EV fueling site. Without establishing a method to the madness, owners risk excess operational costs and unreliable service. Demand-side management software empowers electric vehicle charging station owners to operate more efficiently, reduce costs and contribute to the stability and sustainability of the electrical grid.
For example, Sparkion’s SparkCore™ energy management system automatically optimizes your battery use based on varying utility rates, renewable production, changing loads and available capacity. Our intelligent algorithm is built around your personal business needs and provides peace of mind by continuously working toward your goals. Sparkion’s on-site EV load management system helps charge point operators take control of their charging with real-time power monitoring to direct their network for ideal economics and a good customer experience. Our EMS also helps align your business operations with grid conditions, ensuring your on-site battery charges before and deploys during your peak demand periods to reduce your grid consumption and avoid extra energy costs for the highest profit margins. Furthermore, Sparkion’s demand-side management software gathers data from all site loads to make the best load management decisions around energy consumption. By orchestrating your EV charging network, owners enjoy reliable operations, satisfied customers, energy savings and reduced costs to achieve a successful business.
