When residents at a North Hutchinson Island, Florida condo property began inquiring about electric vehicle charging in private and public parking areas, Oceanique HOA Board Members knew it was time to explore the possibility of adding a new amenity. With part-time and out-of-state Board Members, the solution had to be turnkey and hands-off so that the amenity could operate independently without onsite management involvement.
Key Challenges
- Part-time and out-of-state HOA and Board members lack the time and onsite availability to manage support and maintenance of a shared amenity.
- Residents’ private garages lacked the infrastructure and electricity to power self-installed EV chargers.
- A revenue-driving amenity, a rarity in the multifamily space, could provide financial support for future developments on the property.
Background
Oceanique is one of the newest condominium properties built on North Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce, Florida. The property comprises 144 units divided between two buildings, with a pool, gym, tennis courts, and independent parking garages spread out among the community.
Oceanique’s operations are managed by a board of elected residents who work together to make decisions for the greater good of all residents. Many of the homeowners at Oceanique are part-time residents, meaning this property is their second home, and many have a second vehicle that stays at the property year-round.
The interest in bringing EV charging onsite was spurred by a member of the Board and other residents who needed a plug to charge their electric vehicles at home. Several requests began trickling in from residents who wanted to install EV chargers in their private garage spaces. Unfortunately, the garage structures were not equipped with the needed electrical configuration to support several individual EV chargers, but community EV chargers could remedy this setback.
EV Charging Implementation
The Oceanique HOA Board vetted EV charging solutions and spoke with three different EV charging companies–Oodles being one of them. Other competitors were expensive and inflexible, and the choice to go with Oodles was unanimous.
Oodles was the most attractive solution because the Board knew as soon as they signed on the dotted line, the entire process would be taken care of by the Oodles team, allowing the busy Board members to focus on other responsibilities.
Oceanique and Oodles agreed to a 5-year contract starting in January 2022. Since then, they have installed two chargers for residents in public parking decks serving 12 residents consistently with no issues.
Results and Success
Since day one, Oceanique residents have used the EV chargers 270+ EV charging sessions, for a total of 1,080+ hours of EV charging with no issues arising to the HOA. The Board has not had to contribute any time to managing billing for the amenity’s power usage, dealing with customer support, or equipment maintenance–Oodles handles everything from billing to maintenance to customer communication.
Patrick Oborne, President of Oceanique’s HOA, was equally impressed with the ease of the Oodles app and equipment.
“No residents have complained about their experience with Oodles’ chargers to date. It’s comprehensive and intuitive. Residents can easily use it and have no issues.”
While Oceanique doesn’t rely on the profit-sharing aspect of Oodles’ EV charging solution to fuel operating costs, the Board is encouraged by the idea of the additional incoming revenue being allocated to new amenities that cultivate a stronger community for residents.
What’s Next?
Looking toward the future, the Oceanique HOA Board is excited at the opportunity to offer appealing amenities for its residents and their visitors. Whereas funds for future projects such as outdoor entertaining spaces, a dog park, and more community events traditionally came from penny-pinching monthly dues, the Oceanique HOA now has an amenity that creates additional revenue to fund future projects, upgrades, and expansion.
Takeaways
A quick search into EV charging services led the HOA Board at Oceanique to a unanimous decision to hire Oodles for onsite EV Charging as a Service. Its knowledge of the multifamily space, completely turnkey solution, and easy hands-off service made it more attractive to the condo association than the other services vetted.
Now, 12 EV driver residents are served by Oceanique’s two Oodles EV chargers. Since day one, Board Members have had no reason to worry about maintenance, operations, or support for this new amenity–an aspect that brings peace and reassurance to those who live out of town, with full-time jobs and busy personal lives.
Oodles knows the challenges multifamily properties face–like the lack of resources to support a new amenity. With Oodles, you don’t need to worry about a thing. Contact our team to learn how EV Charging as a Service can work at your condo or multifamily property.
