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Gantt Chart for EV Charging Network Deployment

Plan EV charging infrastructure with a Gantt chart. Covers NEVI compliance, utility upgrades, equipment procurement, civil construction, and network commissioning.

Gantt Chart for EV Charging Network Deployment

Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is the fastest-growing segment of energy project development in the United States. Fueled by the $5 billion NEVI (National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) Formula Program and state-level deployment mandates, project developers, utilities, and fleet operators are racing to install DCFC (DC Fast Charging) corridor stations, depot charging systems, and urban charging hubs at unprecedented scale. Yet despite the apparent simplicity of plugging a charger into a wall, commercial EV charging projects routinely take 18 to 36 months from site selection to ribbon-cutting — and the schedule risks are highly predictable. A Gantt chart built around the real critical path keeps charging network projects on schedule and out of compliance trouble.

Why EV Charging Projects Stall

The core problem is a mismatch between the speed at which developers move and the speed at which utilities respond. A DCFC station serving four 150 kW chargers demands 600 kW to 1,000 kW of electrical capacity — equivalent to a small commercial building. Most candidate sites on the Interstate Highway System (truck stops, travel centers, fast-food parking lots) are served by small transformers sized for lighting and HVAC, not megawatt-scale EV loads. The utility interconnection process for that service upgrade — new primary service line, pad-mounted transformer replacement or addition, underground conduit — can take 6 to 24 months in congested utility service territories. Every other phase of the project is fast by comparison. If the Gantt chart does not front-load the utility application, that upgrade becomes the project-ending critical path.

Phase 1: Site Selection and Due Diligence (Months 1–4)

NEVI compliance imposes specific site selection constraints: stations must be located on designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFC), primarily the Interstate Highway System; stations must be sited within one mile of the highway exit; a minimum of four DCFC ports at 150 kW each is required; and a 97.5% operational uptime requirement applies after commissioning.

Site due diligence covers:

  • Utility capacity screening: Before executing a lease, request a preliminary load assessment from the local utility. Some utilities provide informal capacity maps; others require a formal application. Knowing whether the site has adequate primary voltage capacity (typically 12kV or 25kV three-phase) and transformer capacity is the single most important due diligence step.
  • Property control: Negotiate a ground lease or easement with the property owner. NEVI-funded projects require that the host site agree to the station's operational requirements, including 24/7 public access.
  • ADA accessibility: The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design apply to EV charging stations. The site plan must include an accessible parking space adjacent to accessible charging equipment, with an accessible route from the public right-of-way. Van-accessible spaces require an 8-foot access aisle. ADA deficiencies flagged late in permitting cause expensive redesigns.
  • Environmental review: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment for any site with prior commercial use. NEVI-funded projects may trigger NEPA categorical exclusion review.

Phase 2: Utility Interconnection Application (Months 2–18)

File the utility service application immediately after site control is established — do not wait for permits or design completion. In many utility territories, service upgrade queue times are measured in months, and the clock does not start until the application is formally submitted.

The interconnection process for a large commercial DCFC station typically involves:

  1. Preliminary feasibility assessment: The utility evaluates whether existing infrastructure can support the requested load. Typical duration: 4 to 8 weeks.
  2. Engineering study and cost estimate: For loads requiring transformer upgrades or new primary service, the utility performs a detailed engineering study and issues a cost estimate for the customer-funded portion of the upgrade. Typical duration: 8 to 16 weeks.
  3. Construction agreement execution: The customer accepts the cost estimate and executes an agreement funding the utility construction work.
  4. Utility construction: The utility installs new transformers, primary conductors, and metering equipment. This is typically the longest phase: 4 to 12 months in most service territories, and longer in regions with constrained utility construction crews.

On the Gantt chart, the utility construction bar runs in parallel with permitting, design, and equipment procurement. COD cannot occur until utility energization is complete. If utility construction slips, everything else waits.

Phase 3: Permitting (Months 3–8)

Commercial DCFC stations require multiple permit streams that can be pursued in parallel:

  • Building permit: Most jurisdictions require a building permit for the EVSE installation, including structural review of the canopy or carport if included and electrical review of the service entrance and distribution panel.
  • Electrical permit: A separate electrical permit is often required for the EVSE equipment itself, inspected by the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).
  • Conditional use permit (CUP): Some municipalities require discretionary approval for charging stations, particularly in historic districts or commercial zones with design standards.
  • Encroachment permit: Required if any conduit or utility work crosses a public right-of-way.
  • NEVI grant award: For federally funded stations, the state DOT must award the NEVI grant before construction can begin. The grant application, review, and award process varies by state: some states process awards in 60 days; others take 9 to 12 months.

Phase 4: Design and Engineering (Months 3–7)

Civil and electrical design can proceed in parallel with permitting. Key design decisions:

  • Equipment selection: NEVI requires OCPP 2.0.1 compliant equipment and open network access (customers cannot be required to use a proprietary app). Major EVSE manufacturers include ABB, BTC Power, Tritium, Kempower, and ChargePoint. Equipment lead times have normalized to 4 to 8 months after supply chain disruptions in 2022–2023.
  • Site layout: Canopy or carport design for weather protection; bollard layout for equipment protection; lighting and security camera placement.
  • Electrical design: Service entrance rating; distribution panel sizing; conduit routing; metering configuration; load management system design for power-managed sites.
  • Signage and wayfinding: NEVI requires specific signage standards, including accessibility signage and real-time availability displays.

Phase 5: Equipment Procurement (Months 4–10)

EVSE equipment procurement is a moderate-lead-time item: 4 to 8 months for most manufacturers. The Gantt chart should show equipment delivery timed to arrive after civil construction completes the concrete pads, conduit stub-outs, and service entrance installation — equipment arriving early has nowhere to go and creates site security and damage risk.

Fleet and depot charging projects have different procurement dynamics: Level 2 EVSE equipment (for overnight fleet charging) has shorter lead times (2 to 4 months), but power management systems and smart charging software integrations require additional configuration time.

Phase 6: Civil and Electrical Construction (Months 9–14)

Site construction follows utility energization of primary service (or proceeds in coordination with it). Typical construction sequence:

  1. Site grading and stormwater management if required
  2. Concrete pads for EVSE equipment and electrical gear
  3. Conduit installation (underground runs from service entrance to equipment pads)
  4. Service entrance installation (main disconnect, meter base)
  5. Distribution panel and wiring
  6. EVSE equipment installation and termination
  7. Canopy or carport structure erection (if included)
  8. Bollard installation
  9. Signage and lighting
  10. Pavement marking for accessible spaces and EV-only parking

For fleet depot charging, add: power management controller installation, network communications wiring, and integration with fleet management software.

Phase 7: Network Onboarding and Commissioning (Months 14–18)

EVSE commissioning involves both electrical testing and network software integration:

  • Electrical commissioning: Each EVSE unit is powered up, protective relay settings are verified, and a functional test confirms all ports charge correctly at rated power.
  • OCPP network enrollment: Each EVSE unit is enrolled in the network management system. NEVI requires OCPP 2.0.1 compliance; stations must accept any credit card payment without an app.
  • NEVI compliance verification: The state DOT or its designee performs a compliance inspection covering equipment specs, signage, accessibility, network openness, and uptime monitoring enrollment.
  • Soft open and monitoring period: Many operators run a 30 to 60 day observation period after go-live to catch fault patterns before formal acceptance.

Building the Gantt Chart: Critical Path and Float

For a typical 4-port DCFC corridor station, the critical path runs: site selection → utility application → utility service upgrade construction → final electrical connection → commissioning → open. Permitting, design, and equipment procurement have float relative to the utility upgrade timeline in most projects.

For fleet depot charging, the critical path is typically: utility application → design → equipment procurement → civil construction → power management integration → go-live. Utility upgrade timelines are shorter for lower-power depot charging (typically 200 to 400 kW for a 20-port Level 2 depot).

Key milestones to mark on the Gantt chart:

  • Site control executed
  • Utility application submitted
  • NEVI grant award (if applicable)
  • Building permit issued
  • Equipment purchase order placed
  • Utility service energized
  • EVSE installation complete
  • Network enrollment complete
  • NEVI compliance inspection passed
  • Open to public

Common Schedule Failures

Skipping utility pre-screening before lease execution: Developers sign long-term leases on sites where the utility upgrade cost is prohibitive or the timeline exceeds the project's financing constraints. Pre-screen utility capacity before committing to a site.

Serial permitting: Permit applications submitted sequentially (building permit first, electrical permit after approval) rather than in parallel add 3 to 6 months unnecessarily.

NEVI grant delays not accounted for: State NEVI programs vary enormously in processing speed. Conservative Gantt charts show grant award on the critical path with a realistic range, not an optimistic best case.

Equipment ordered too late: EVSE equipment ordered after permits are issued (rather than concurrent with permitting) pushes equipment delivery past civil construction completion, extending the schedule by 4 to 6 months.

Start Scheduling Your EV Charging Project

A Gantt chart for EV charging network deployment turns an 18 to 36 month process into a sequence of manageable, trackable milestones. The tool is especially valuable for multi-site corridor programs where dozens of stations are in various stages simultaneously — the program Gantt chart shows which sites are on the critical path, which have schedule float, and where utility upgrade delays are creating bottlenecks across the portfolio.

Use gantt-chart.io to build your EV charging deployment schedule. Import your site list, map the utility application and construction timelines for each location, set dependencies between permitting, procurement, and civil work, and share the live schedule with your utility partners, EPC contractors, and grant administrators in a single click.