How does a charging site
actually make money?
There are three things worth knowing before making an investment decision: where the money comes from, how long a site takes to mature, and how the earnings are split. We explain all three with data from our own sites.
1 · Where the money comes from
There is a single revenue source: electricity sold to the car. The driver starts the session from the app, payment is taken on the spot, energy is billed per kWh. No cash, no subscription and no membership on site.
Driver starts a session
Via the app or a QR code, no card to tap
Energy flows
kWh measured at the meter, monitored live
Payment is taken
Charged to the card the moment the session ends
Settlement is calculated
A one-page report at month-end
Idle fees are a separate revenue line
The waiting fee charged to a driver who finishes charging and leaves the car plugged in is kept apart from charging revenue and shown on its own line in the report. It is not relied on when calculating payback — because a well-run site collects little of it anyway.
2 · Will it pay back within four years?
We mapped the year-by-year trend of our own DC sites from opening to today. All are 180–240 kW DC. The only difference between them is how busy the location is — and that is what decides the outcome. The pattern is clear: sales rise on average 1.8× from year one to year two, then settle onto a plateau.
BUSY LOCATION
High daily vehicle traffic, plenty of EVs in the area. The driver is passing anyway.
- Year 1
- 145,000 kWh
- Year 2
- 205,000 kWh
- Year 3
- 205,000 kWh
- Year 4
- 210,000 kWh
The investment pays back during year 2.
AVERAGE LOCATION
Steady but limited traffic. The site grows as the number of EVs around it grows.
- Year 1
- 48,000 kWh
- Year 2
- 108,000 kWh
- Year 3
- 108,000 kWh
- Year 4
- 114,000 kWh
The investment pays back during year 3.
WEAK LOCATION
Little traffic, low EV density nearby. Volume doesn't come even with a high-power charger.
- Year 1
- 20,000 kWh
- Year 2
- 26,000 kWh
- Year 3
- 25,000 kWh
- Year 4
- 26,000 kWh
No payback in four years. We don't enter this site.
Energy sold per year. The figures are profile bands derived from the real trend of our own DC sites; they are not the literal data of any single site. Season, tariff changes and charger faults have not been separated out.
The second item that sets the margin: the site commission
When we find the location, a share is also paid to the party providing the area. That share is a fixed cost item independent of the charger, the power or the brand — and its level changes the cash left to you directly.
The owner of a busy location naturally asks for a higher share. That is why «the busiest place is always the most profitable investment» is false — high volume can come with a high site share. The two have to be calculated together before deciding.
After the survey we show the net figure with the site share included; it appears on its own line in the offer.
- Our busiest site
- 9.8×
- An average site
- 4.0×
- Our weakest site
- 1.0×
The spread in sales between our sites in the same power class. The only variable is location.
How payback is calculated
- Monthly energy sold
- kWh
- × Unit gross profit
- sales − electricity
- = Monthly gross profit
- ₺
- − ADZE operating share
- contract rate
- = Cash returning to the investment
- ₺/month
- − Site share (if any)
- to the area owner
Accumulated year by year; the month it reaches the investment amount is the payback month. Tax and financing are calculated separately.
Why we don't quote a single period
Claims like «amortised in 18 months» circulate in this sector. On our own data that is possible only at the strongest sites, and only in the second year. At an average site it takes three years; at a weak one it never happens.
That is why we won't quote you a period without seeing your site. After the survey we give two scenarios: cautious and expected. And we show the gap between them openly.
The electricity tariff is the single most decisive item in this calculation. We establish your site's actual tariff during the survey.
3 · How the earnings are split
Before looking at the percentage, ask what it is applied to. 10% of turnover and 25% of gross profit can come to the same money — which base the share is calculated on matters more than the rate itself.
MODEL 1
I have the site,
I fund it myself
Base: turnover excl. VAT
- Energy sales
- turnover
- − Electricity
- yours
- − ADZE share
- on turnover
- = Left for you
- operating cash
MODEL 2
I have capital,
not a site
Base: turnover excl. VAT
- Energy sales
- turnover
- − Electricity
- yours
- − Site rent
- ADZE's
- − ADZE share
- on turnover
- = Left for you
- operating cash
MODEL 3
I have the site,
let ADZE fund it
Base: gross profit after electricity
- Energy sales
- turnover
- − Electricity
- ADZE's
- = Gross profit
- the share base
- × Your share
- of gross profit
- = Left for you
- monthly settlement
Why we don't publish the rates
Because they vary with the site's volume, its power class, the rent burden and the scope of service you want. Writing a single number would mislead either you or us. We publish the base openly; the rate comes after the survey, in a written offer.
4 · What you see every month
So that you can verify your earnings, every step between the sale and the settlement appears in the same report. A dashboard alone is not a financial audit — which is why we also hand over the raw transaction export.
You can download your own site's transaction list at any time and do your own arithmetic.
- Total sessions
- count
- Energy sold
- kWh
- Gross sales
- incl. VAT
- VAT
- separate line
- Net sales
- excl. VAT
- Electricity cost
- kWh × tariff
- Idle fee revenue
- separate line
- Contract share
- base × rate
- Your settlement
- amount payable
Let's produce these figures for your site
Share your location; we'll prepare a 12-month estimate band and two scenarios from the real trend of comparable sites of ours. Pre-screening is free.
Request a pre-assessment