Global adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) continues to accelerate—electric and plug-in hybrid sales topped 17 million in 2024, claiming over 20% of new vehicle sales worldwide. This trend shows no signs of slowing, as experts project that EVs will account for more than one-quarter of new car sales in 2025 and may reach 40% by 2030. Despite this growth, many businesses are not equipped to accurately assess the number of electric vehicles entering their properties, making it difficult to plan EV charger installations effectively.
For business owners—including hotels, retail centers, office complexes, and public facilities—the challenge lies in determining the right number of EV charging stations. Installing too few chargers frustrates EV drivers with long wait times, while too many chargers waste valuable resources and capital. Fortunately, License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology offers a data-driven approach to address this dilemma.
Plate Recognizer provides a purpose-built LPR for EV charger planning. Its engine not only captures license plate images but also analyzes the vehicle’s make and model—critical details that help determine whether the car is electric or gas-powered. Combined with ParkPow analytics, businesses receive meaningful, location-specific insights for better infrastructure planning.
Regional EV Trends: Which Electric Vehicles Are Entering Your Property?
Understanding regional differences in EV adoption is essential when planning EV infrastructure. Electric vehicle models vary significantly across markets. For example, the Volkswagen ID.4 is a common sight in Europe, while Tesla and Chevrolet models dominate in North America. These differences matter when trying to match EV charger investments with actual demand.
A gray electric car charging in a parking lot. Source: Canva
Plate Recognizer’s system is trained to detect a wide range of EV makes and models across major regions. Whether your property is in California, São Paulo, or Southeast Asia, the platform accurately identifies incoming vehicles using license plate data, helping businesses determine which EVs are visiting—and how often. This level of detail supports smarter, localized EV charger planning, as decisions are based on real-world vehicle traffic, not just global trends.
Below is a reference table showing common EV models across key markets:
EV Model |
North America |
South America |
Europe |
Southeast Asia |
Middle East |
Tesla Model Y |
✓ |
✓ | ✓ |
✓ |
|
Tesla Model 3 |
✓ |
✓ | ✓ |
✓ |
|
Ford Mustang Mach-E |
✓ |
✓ | |||
Rivian R1T and R1S |
✓ |
||||
Chevrolet Equinox EV |
✓ |
||||
BMW i4 |
✓ |
||||
Hyundai Kona Electric |
✓ |
||||
2025 Kia EV6 |
✓ |
||||
Niro EV |
✓ |
||||
Volkswagen ID.4 |
✓ |
||||
Skoda Enyaq |
✓ |
||||
Atto 3 |
✓ |
||||
Seal |
✓ |
||||
Wuling Air EV |
✓ |
||||
BinguoEV |
✓ |
||||
Polestar |
✓ |
||||
Genesis |
✓ |
How LPR Technology Supports EV Charger Planning
License Plate Recognition (LPR), also known as Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR), uses camera systems positioned at strategic entry points—such as parking lot entrances, facility gates, or access roads—to automatically capture license plate images as vehicles enter a property. ALPR systems operate passively and continuously, requiring no driver interaction or manual data collection.
Several EV charging stations lined up. Source: Canva
The core function of LPR technology is to extract the alphanumeric license plate from each captured image. Once the plate number is identified, the system cross-references it against vehicle registration databases to determine the vehicle’s make and model.
More advanced LPR engines go a step further by using artificial intelligence to correct for angled views, low lighting, or partial obstructions, ensuring reliable recognition even in challenging real-world conditions.
This LPR capability is especially valuable for EV charger planning and management. Beyond simply estimating how many chargers a property may need, vehicle make and model recognition helps ensure that chargers are used appropriately. A common issue at hotels, malls, and offices is that non-electric vehicles occupy charging spots reserved for EVs. With make/model identification, the system can distinguish between an EV like a Tesla Model Y or Nissan Leaf and a non-EV vehicle. When a non-EV is detected in a charging space, property staff can be alerted and take action, such as leaving a courtesy notice on the vehicle. This enables businesses to maintain fair usage of EV infrastructure while also collecting long-term data to guide future charger investments.
What makes this approach powerful is that the data is tied to actual vehicle traffic, not estimates or surveys. Business owners and managers gain clear visibility into the percentage of electric vehicles visiting over time, during peak hours, weekdays versus weekends, or seasonal cycles. This enables more precise, data-driven infrastructure planning.
Over time, these insights allow for proactive investment. Facilities can plan initial charger installations based on current EV usage and scale them as adoption increases, ensuring that charging infrastructure grows in step with actual demand.
Plate Recognizer and ParkPow: How These Technologies Work Together for EV Charger Planning
While LPR technology provides the foundation, what sets this solution apart is how Plate Recognizer and ParkPow work together to deliver detailed, actionable data.
Lady holding a coffee and waiting for her electric car to finish charging. Source: Canva
Plate Recognizer specializes in vehicle make and model recognition using license plates alone—no need for additional sensors or visual checks. The system has been trained on millions of global vehicle images, enabling it to detect even lesser-known EV models with high accuracy. Whether installed on-site or run through cloud-based infrastructure, Plate Recognizer delivers reliable results across various lighting and weather conditions.
Key features of Plate Recognizer for EV analysis include:
- Real-time license plate detection and decoding
- Vehicle make and model identification across global EV markets
- Flexible deployment (on-premise or cloud)
- Supports a wide range of IP cameras and video feeds
Once the data is captured, ParkPow turns it into clear insights. ParkPow is a purpose-built analytics platform that connects directly with Plate Recognizer’s engine. Within its interface, property managers or business owners can explore historical trends, break down traffic by vehicle type, and filter for electric vehicle models.
ParkPow offers:
- Custom dashboards with day/week/month traffic breakdowns
- Model/Make identification
- Exportable reports for infrastructure planning or board presentations
- Multi-location support for properties managing more than one site
EV cars parked side by side, plugged into EV car chargers. Source: Canva
ParkPow displays this data through clear dashboards, allowing users to monitor entries by day, week, or month. With a few clicks, property managers/business owners can filter for specific makes and models to determine how many of those vehicles fall under known EV classifications.
This level of reporting removes the guesswork from EV infrastructure planning. For example, a hotel may install cameras at its entrance and collect data for 30 days. After reviewing the analytics, they find that 12% of all incoming vehicles are electric. With this insight, the hotel can confidently move forward with installing two EV charging stations, knowing the decision aligns with current usage patterns.
Together, Plate Recognizer and ParkPow form an integrated, end-to-end solution for LPR for EV Charger Planning.
Modern electric car parked behind a charging station. Source: Canva
Conclusion: Smarter EV Planning Starts with Smarter Data
Installing EV chargers no longer needs to be based on rough estimates or industry averages. With License Plate Recognition technology and tools like ParkPow, businesses can access measurable, location-specific data to guide their planning decisions.
This approach allows business owners to track trends, identify electric vehicles, and calculate charging needs based on actual vehicle traffic—not assumptions. It simplifies the planning process and reduces the risk of over- or under-investing in charging infrastructure.
If your organization is preparing to support electric vehicles, now is the time to explore a smarter, data-driven approach. Contact Plate Recognizer to learn more or request a demo.
