Episode 12: Electrifying the Future — Insights from MOVE America That Every CPO Should Know

Key Takeaways

• EV drivers find charging stations through Google Maps and Apple Maps first — not dedicated EV apps
• Charger anxiety is a real barrier to adoption — and it is directly tied to the quality of photos, reviews, and location data available on charging station profiles
• Live data accuracy (which chargers are available, pricing, connector types) must be matched to the correct listing
• CPOs are shifting focus from building more stations to driving more revenue and utilization from existing ones
• Range anxiety, charging infrastructure gaps, and vehicle cost remain the top three barriers to mass EV adoption

The EV charging industry is at an inflection point. As more stations come online and competition increases, the charge point operators (CPOs) that win will be the ones who make their stations easy to find, easy to trust, and easy to use. That is a location marketing challenge as much as it is an infrastructure challenge.

In this special live episode of the Local Marketing Beat podcast, host Christian Hustle records on the floor at MOVE America in Austin, Texas — one of the largest EV industry conferences — connecting with Uberall’s Ehab Aboud, data partners, advertising innovators, and EV drivers to capture what charge point operators need to know about visibility, reputation, live data, and the consumer concerns shaping adoption.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to MOVE America and why location marketing matters for EV

01:21 Walking the floor: the state of EV charging infrastructure

01:48 Ehab Aboud on how Uberall helps CPOs get found on Google and Apple Maps

06:00 Charger anxiety, photos, reviews, and the customer experience

08:15 Rodri Vandenberg, CEO of Eco-Movement, on charging data accuracy

12:35 Nima Mimi from GSTV on advertising as ancillary revenue for CPOs

14:50 EV driver interviews: how people find chargers and what concerns them

20:00 Global perspectives: adoption trends from the US, Europe, and Australia

25:00 Wrap-up: the future of EV infrastructure and what CPOs should prioritize

EV Drivers Search on Google Maps and Apple Maps First

“They’re mainly looking at where they usually go — Google Maps, Apple Maps, places like that. Where they’re looking for their coffee, their burgers, their laundry, they’re looking for EV charging stations. They’re not going to specific apps.” — Ehab Aboud, Principal Solutions Engineer, Uberall

Ehab Aboud makes a point that many charge point operators overlook: The primary way drivers find charging stations is through the same platforms they use for everything else — Google Maps and Apple Maps.

While some drivers use dedicated EV apps, the mainstream consumer behavior is to search on familiar platforms where they already look for restaurants, coffee shops, and other services.

For CPOs investing millions in physical infrastructure, this means that digital visibility is not optional — it is the difference between a station that gets utilized and one that sits empty.

Listings management across all major platforms, verified profiles, accurate hours, connector types, and pricing data all need to be in place. As Ehab puts it: You cannot spend a million dollars building a station and just hope people find you.

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Charger Anxiety Is a Location Marketing Problem

“If my wife wanted to drive across Texas on a 10-hour road trip with an EV, is she going to feel safe in a place that doesn’t have much lighting? What if she took the dog — are there facilities for dog walking, for cleaning the car? A lot of that you can tell from the reviews or from the photos.” — Ehab Aboud, Principal Solutions Engineer, Uberall

Ehab reframes charger anxiety — the concern that drivers will not be able to find a working charger when they need one — as fundamentally a reputation management problem. When a few bad experiences at a station tarnish its reviews, the impact goes beyond that single location — it can damage the entire brand’s reputation.

His practical recommendations mirror what works for any multi-location business: Respond to reviews, actively generate new ones, upload clear photos showing the station during day and night, and document amenities that drivers care about (lighting, restrooms, Wi-Fi, pet facilities).

For CPOs managing hundreds of stations, this requires the same location data management discipline that retail chains and restaurant brands use — applied to a new and rapidly growing industry.

Live Data Must Be Matched to the Right Listing

“The live data is being sent to these places. The problem is: is it being sent to the right listings? What if you’re in a gigantic interstate highway and there’s one on either side of the eight-lane highway? Sometimes there’s a mix. Neither is Google, neither is Apple Maps — they need a nudge.” — Ehab Aboud, Principal Solutions Engineer, Uberall

One of the most technically nuanced challenges in EV charging is live data matching.

Platforms like Google and Apple Maps can display real-time charger availability, pricing, and connector types — but only if that data is correctly mapped to the right listing.

Ehab describes scenarios where stations on opposite sides of a highway get their data mixed, or where an abandoned photo from a year ago shows a gate that is now open.

The solution is not just sending data — it is ensuring the entire ecosystem around each listing is accurate, current, and verified. For CPOs scaling across regions, this is where a centralized location marketing platform becomes essential. The live availability data that drivers depend on is only as useful as the listing it is attached to.

CPOs Are Shifting from Volume to Utilization

“In the past, charge point operators were more worried about getting more locations ready, speed. Now they’re more like: how do I get more profit and more revenue out of my current locations?” — Rodri Vandenberg, CEO, Eco-Movement

Rodri Vandenberg, CEO of Eco-Movement — the leading EV charging data platform and Uberall partner — identifies a fundamental shift in CPO priorities. As infrastructure deployment matures and more stations come online, competition is increasing.

The focus is moving from “How many stations can we build?” to “How do we maximize revenue from each station?”

This shift makes digital visibility and customer experience directly tied to revenue. Rodri notes that CPOs are investing more in data accuracy, real-time pricing, amenity information, and overall online presence.

He highlights the Uberall and Eco-Movement partnership as an example of how location marketing expertise combined with charging data intelligence helps CPOs take the next step in their online presence — moving from simply existing on the map to actively competing for utilization.

What EV Drivers and Industry Leaders Say About Adoption

“Anyone that actually gets one or tries it or drives it — they like it. Most people just haven’t tried it yet.” — Mark Alexander, Apply EV

Christian interviews multiple EV drivers and industry professionals on the MOVE America floor, and the same themes emerge consistently.

Range anxiety remains the top concern — particularly in the US Midwest and areas where charging infrastructure is less dense than the coasts. Vehicle cost is the second barrier, with multiple respondents noting that EVs still sit at a premium price point compared to gasoline alternatives. Charger reliability and availability round out the top three concerns.

Yet the sentiment from actual EV drivers is overwhelmingly positive. A Tesla owner from California describes the experience as seamless once infrastructure is in place. A Hyundai engineer notes that the biggest challenge is simply getting people to try it.

The belief is that, within five years, adoption should accelerate significantly as infrastructure catches up, costs come down, and mainstream consumers (not just early adopters) gain confidence in the charging network.

For CPOs, the implication is clear: The demand is coming — and the operators who have invested in visibility, reputation, and data accuracy will capture the largest share of it.