> I'm not sure why we need government incentives. If they were profitable on their own, the problem would solve itself.
Government incentives and regulations are why every home has indoor plumbing and electricity. Those, I think, are widely seen as a good.
But to this, these things can absolutely be profitable. However, landlords may not want to take on the initial purchase price for fear that none of their tenants will use it or for dumber ideological reasons. A modest charge over the utility price would be all that's needed to indefinitely maintain these chargers.