EV Charging Infrastructure Break-Even Analysis: Month 13 Target

Fixed costs $68.1K/mo Year 1 base

Contribution margin 83% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $82.1K/mo Needed monthly sales

Break-even timing Month 13 Launch ramp

Break-even calculator

Test how monthly revenue, variable expenses, and fixed costs set break-even for an EV charging network.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue sets the margin available to cover fixed costs. $ Low revenue High revenue Variable expenses Use direct costs that rise with charging volume, like power, processing, and sales spend. $ Low costs High costs

Money available to cover fixed costs $196,466 $233,333 revenue - $36,867 variable expenses

Margin ratio

84%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs This is the monthly cost base break-even has to cover. $ Low fixed High fixed

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which EV charging expenses are fixed, and which move with sales at break-even?

Cost classification

At Month 13 break-even, the model works only if each expense follows the right driver. Keep office overhead fixed, tie transaction items to revenue, and treat demand charges and field staffing as scale-sensitive.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Office rent	Fixed	Carry $8,000/month through the break-even model.	Scaling rent with charging revenue.
Professional services	Fixed	Include $3,000/month as steady overhead.	Dropping legal and accounting once revenue starts.
Network monitoring software	Fixed	Include $2,500/month to support charger uptime.	Hiding monitoring inside general software.
Electricity	Variable	Use 8.0% of first-year revenue, or $64,000 on $800,000 revenue.	Treating energy usage as fixed site overhead.
Grid demand charges	Semi-variable	Model separately from electricity; first-year assumption is 3.5% of revenue.	Treating demand charges like pure electricity usage.
Payment processing fees	Variable	Apply 2.0% of first-year revenue, or $16,000 on $800,000 revenue.	Forgetting card fees on pay-per-use sessions.
Sales commissions and marketing	Variable	Apply 3.5% of first-year revenue, or $28,000 on $800,000 revenue.	Budgeting marketing as flat while sales ramp.
Field technician payroll	Semi-fixed	Starts Month 13; Year 2 includes 2.0 FTE at $70,000 each.	Smoothing technician hiring as a revenue percentage.

How does break-even change from a lean launch to a base rollout and a full network buildout?

Scenario table

Lean stays short of fixed coverage, base clears break-even, and full rollout creates a wide cushion. The main change is revenue rising faster than payroll and site overhead.

Planning assumptions only; actual site demand, utilization, and staffing can move these break-even points.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch	$66,667	$11,333	$68,133	83.0%	($20,333)	Still short of fixed coverage until Month 13.
Base rollout	$233,333	$36,867	$95,217	84.2%	$86,917	Break-even lands by Month 13 and Year 2 has room to grow.
Full network buildout	$1,500,000	$202,500	$213,133	86.5%	$1,026,333	Wide margin cushion supports site-by-site expansion.

What pushes this EV charging network below break-even?

Stress test

Year 1 is already under the line: average monthly revenue is about $66,667 versus roughly $82,100 needed on the base case. Slow utilization, higher grid charges, or Month 13 field staffing can widen that gap fast.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change from the base case.	$82,100	$15,400 gap	Year 1 revenue does not fully cover fixed cost.
Revenue shortfall	Year 1 revenue runs 10% below plan.	$82,100	$22,100 gap	Lower station use pushes the launch period deeper into loss.
Fixed-cost increase	Month 13 field technicians add $11,667 per month.	$96,100	$29,400 gap	Staffing turns a thin launch into a much larger fixed burden.
Margin pressure	Variable expenses rise 2 percentage points to 19% of revenue.	$84,100	$17,400 gap	Utility and payment cost creep erodes contribution fast.
Combined pressure	Year 1 revenue is 10% below plan and Month 13 field staffing starts.	$96,100	$36,100 gap	Weak demand plus added payroll widens burn and delays breakeven.

What should the founder verify before locking the lease and rollout spend for an EV charging network?

Founder checklist

Test the commitment against break-even math before you sign the lease, order hardware, or hire. The model needs about $82.0K in monthly revenue to cover a $68.1K fixed base at an 83% contribution margin, and cash bottoms at -$3.903M in Month 12.

1Demand proof$82.0K/mo

Confirm driver traffic and B2B pipeline can support the break-even run rate before you scale marketing or commit DC fast hardware orders.

2Fixed load$68.1K/mo

Check that lease, office, software, insurance, support, and monitoring costs stay near this base so fixed spend does not outrun early revenue.

3Margin check83% CM

Verify electricity, grid demand, processing, and sales spend stay near 17% of revenue, because this margin funds the Month 13 break-even plan.

4Utility capacity$800K upgrade

Confirm site power can handle the $800,000 electrical upgrade before you lock construction, backup power, or station layout.

5Cash runway-$3.903M

Make sure reserve cash can absorb the Month 12 low point, since the model hits minimum cash of -$3.903 million before breakeven.

6Launch ready$500K build

Prove payment flow and network monitoring first, then spend the $500,000 development budget and add technicians only when uptime and support are stable.