EV charging network opens up advertising opportunities

The accessibility of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations has always been a limitation to EV users. According to the US Department of Energy, there were around only 43,000 public EV charging stations and 120,000 ports nationwide in September 2021—insufficient in a country where EVs on the road totalled more than 600,000 in that year alone.

Volta, a start-up based in San Francisco, aims to rectify this by accelerating the rollout of accessible public charging infrastructure with its media-focused EV chargers. The cost to install a charger is split between Volta and its commercial advertising partners, which include shopping malls and stadiums. These partners purchase advertising space on the chargers, for which Volta then obtains a recurring fee and advertising revenue. This revenue is then invested into expanding the company’s charger network.