Additionally, the definitions for public and private EVSE, as well as fast charging, vary. In its report—the first Navigant EVSE Tracker—Navigant Research says it segmented the global market data as granularly as possible in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the market size for EVSE worldwide.

Navigant follows the growth of EVSE development through three technology segments:

• AC charging. AC charging is used in both residential and commercial applications; it typically supplies capacities up to 7.2 kW and in some cases up to 19.2 kW.

  AC is broken into two segments—Level 1 and Level 2—based on kW capacity. Level 1 is defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) as any charge up to 1.92 kW (from a 120V outlet), while Level 2 is any charge from a 240V power supply up to 19.2 kW.

• DC charging. DC charging is only used in commercial applications and typically supplies from 20 kW to 100 kW. DC fast charging most commonly supplies power from 25 kW to 50 kW but some manufacturers have introduced units with power ratings of up to 100 kW

• Battery swapping. In its limited form, a battery swap is executed underneath or in the rear of the PEV either robotically or manually through lift-assist equipment.

Navigant Research estimates there are 48,705 publicly accessible charging stations installed globally.

• AC installations account for a vast majority, nearly 94%, of total installations worldwide.

• DC installations account for almost 5% of global installations; however, they do have a central role and leading market share in Japan and Estonia.

• Battery swap stations account for less than 1% of total installations and, like DC EVSE, are central to only a few countries, including China, Denmark, and Israel.

The Asia Pacific region leads the globe in terms of number of installed stations in all technology categories, according to Navigant. North America is just ahead of Europe in terms of AC installations but lags far behind both Europe and Asia Pacific in DC installations. Asia Pacific leads in DC infrastructure thanks to Japan’s aggressive development and adoption of DC fast chargers, according to the company.