May 21, 2024
As technology evolves, the excitement of sustainable energy is at an all-time high. This excitement extends to electric vehicles (EVs), too. And naturally, the availability of EV charging stations is rising. While gas stations still dominate as the top fueling option, electric vehicle charging stations are the fastest-growing fueling category. So much so that EV charging stations now account for 85% of all alternative fueling stations, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
You can already see this shift in public lots, like at your local library or office building parking lot. However, this growth isn't limited to public spaces. It's also taking place at multi-family properties, like apartment and condo complexes – and these are places where we seriously doubt you’ll see gas stations!
So if you’re thinking of joining the wave of other innovative property owners or developers embracing this growth, consider EV Charging-as-a-Service for your property.
EV Charging-as-a-Service (EVCaaS) refers to the supply, installation, and management of EV charging stations for public and private properties.
EV Charging-as-a-Service is a relatively new term that has only popped up within the past decade, rendering it foreign to many outside the automotive industry. But, we can think of it as something akin to any other “as-a-service” products, such as Software-as-a-Service (aka SaaS). Just as SaaS companies offer paid use of their software to businesses and consumers, EVCaaS allows property owners and developers the opportunity to equip their parking lots with EV charging stations.
Partnering with a company offering EV Charging-as-a-Service isn’t complicated. Here are the four main steps you can expect:
1. Property owners or developers reach out to an EVCaaS company.
Once you’ve decided to upgrade your property with EV chargers, you can contact an EVCaaS provider to jumpstart the installation process. During your initial conversation, the provider can help you determine how many chargers you need by asking questions such as:
If you partner with OBE Power, these questions will determine the initial number of charging stations to install. We say “initial,” because the data we collect on charger utilization (meaning how much the chargers are being used) allows us to follow the amenity’s use in real time and determine whether your property needs more chargers.
2. EVCaaS companies install the chargers.
If your existing electrical infrastructure can support EV chargers, you only need to sit back and watch as the EV Charging-as-a-Service provider installs the chargers for you. There’s no need to hire contractors for the job or figure out what equipment you need. Simply let the provider know where the electrical infrastructure is located, and they’ll set you up with your new charging stations.
Otherwise, most EV Charging-as-a-Service providers will prepare and modify your electrical infrastructure for you. Depending on the provider, you may have to pay additional make-ready costs to cover this step. However, these changes will ensure that your property can take on the required EV charging station expansion.
For properties serviced by OBE Power, our technicians will assess your electrical infrastructure, cover make-ready costs, and install the stations on your own property at no extra cost.
3. EVCaaS companies charge the property owners or drivers for usage.
Depending on the EVCaaS provider, there are two main ways property owners pay for EV charging station usage:
With OBE Power, property owners get access to charging stations according to the second method outlined above. We also handle make-ready costs (up to a limit), which means you can host EV charging stations at zero cost.
4. EVCaaS companies maintain and help property owners understand demand, peak hours, and other important information.
Smart EV charging stations allow access to a host of data on charging usage. The exact data points offered are unique to each EV Charging-as-a-Service provider, but most include peak charging hours, charger utilization, and energy used. This information can be used to make informed decisions on installation expansion or applied to receive benefits such as Carbon Credit Income.
OBE Power offers a Host Portal, where you can see an array of information, including:
We are also responsible for charger maintenance, which means our technicians and support teams are available to hosts whenever they need assistance with OBE Power charging stations.
The choice to install EV charging stations on your property can be a complex decision, but the benefits outweigh all (if any) drawbacks.
A standard consideration for accommodating electric vehicles is that the EV industry is developing rapidly, which can come with frequent changes. As a result, many property owners and developers can be hesitant to take the plunge to commit to or be overwhelmed with the learning curve of EV-related equipment.
While these concerns are understandable, consider this: EV Charging-as-a-Service providers are responsible for chargers, which means they — not you — take care of any station upgrades and their associated costs. Also, you don’t ever have to learn more than you want on EV charging because EVCaaS providers do all the work.
Assuming you correctly select and buy your own charging hardware, you’d have to pay fees for a hired contractor, the make-ready and installation of your charging space, striping and signage, station operations, and maintenance. All of these necessities could easily rack up to thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars, depending on the number of chargers you’re installing.
On the other hand, EVCaaS providers typically handle installation and maintenance costs while providing the hardware, saving property owners and developers a generous amount of money and effort.
Residents are often willing to pay more for the convenience of accessing EV charging where they live. Residents who drive electric vehicles can access public chargers on commercial lots, but have to compete with other drivers and consider peak times, availability, or distance to home or their office.
When an EV station is directly in a multi-family residential area, its residents can access charging much more easily and spend less time overall charging their vehicles. You can also apply to receive Carbon Credit Income (see above).
We know there’s a lot of information about accommodations for electric vehicles, which is why we want to make it as easy as possible for property owners and developers to host charging stations at their lots. When you rely on OBE Power’s EV Charging-as-a-Service, you get 100% of the benefits at no cost.
Ready to get started? Contact us today for a free consultation on installing charging stations at your property!
