EV Charging Provider ChargePoint to Install Hundreds of Chargers at Apartments and Condo Complexes Across California

author: Eric Walz   

Although the state of California has the highest electric vehicle adoption rate in the U.S., finding convenient places to charge is not always easy, especially for residents that live in apartment complexes or condo units. But Silicon Valley-based EV charging provider ChargePoint is working to expand EV charging options in its home state as part of a new collaboration.

ChargePoint announced a partnership with Charge Across Town and the state of California to deploy hundreds of EV chargers at multifamily properties across the state. The aim of the partnership is to help boost EV adoption. Providing EV charging infrastructure at multifamily buildings will make it easier and less expensive for California residents living in apartments and condos to charge their EVs at home.

ChargePoint has been awarded $4.25 million through the California Energy Commission's Reliable, Equitable, and Accessible Charging for Multifamily Housing (REACH) program to help fund the project. 

Many of these EV chargers will be installed in low income and disadvantaged communities where EV charging infrastructure is often lacking. ChargePoint will partner with multifamily property owners and managers to install hundreds of its CPF50 and CT4000 electric vehicle charging ports, with 75% of the chargers reserved for buildings in disadvantaged or low income communities.

ChargePoint's Level-2 CPF50 charging station is specifically designed for use in fleet and multifamily applications. For apartments and condos, CPF50 stations are intended for personal charging in assigned parking spots and are available as a single-or dual-port configuration.

The CT4000 chargers are designed for commercial applications. All CT4000 models offer one or two standard SAE J1772 Level 2 charging ports with locking holsters. Each port supplies up to 7.2kW of power with a standard connector that can charge any brand of EV.

"As a company that was founded in California and is headquartered here, we're honored to work with the California Energy Commission and Charge Across Town to build reliable, equitable, and accessible EV charging infrastructure for Californians," said John Schott, Director, Public Private Partnerships, at ChargePoint. "Driving electric should be possible for everyone, and this partnership recognizes that charging should be accessible where drivers live, work and play. We're proud of our strong track record of providing charging solutions that multifamily property owners and drivers rely on every day and look forward to continuing this important work."

ChargePoint's compact EV chargers will make it easier for apartment and condo dwellers in California to charge their EVs.

Charge Across Town (CAT) is an non-profit organization in California that's been working directly with consumers, community organizers, local government and the automotive industry across the state for the past decade to get people interested about driving and purchasing electric vehicles, as well as educating them about EV charging.

"One barrier to EV adoption is the inaccessibility to home charging, and lack of electric vehicle supply equipment infrastructure where it is needed most," said Maureen Blanc, Director at Charge Across Town. "Working with ChargePoint in low income and disadvantaged communities, we have the opportunity to educate both multifamily building owners and residents on how EV charging works, the affordability and benefits of going electric, and the many state and local incentives available to these communities."

ChargePoint will also work with Charge Across Town to educate multi-unit building owners and residents about the benefits of electric vehicles and how smart EV charging infrastructure makes charging at home easy. Charge Across Town will host educational events at each building before and after EV chargers are installed and collect suggestions and feedback from building management to improve the charging experience for residents.

Through the project, ChargePoint says residents living in these multifamily buildings are expected to drive over 2.7 million electric miles during the five years after the chargers are installed. This will eliminate more than 1.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, which is the equivalent of planting over 18 million trees and growing them for a decade, according to ChargePoint

ChargePoint was founded in 2007 and is based in Campbell, CA. Its customers gain access to hundreds of thousands of EV chargers in its network in North America and Europe. To date, ChargePoint has delivered more than 113 million charging sessions.

In March, ChargePoint announced a partnership with Toyota to ensure that its EV customers will have seamless access to charging both at home and at public chargers as the automaker prepares for the launch of its first ever electric vehicle in the U.S. next year, the battery-powered bZ4X SUV. 

Toyota is working with ChargePoint ahead of the launch so that bZ4X customers will have access to convenient charging. For home charging, bZ4X customers will have the option to purchase a ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 charger from participating Toyota dealerships or directly from ChargePoint. It's estimated that nearly 80% of all Level-2 charging is done at home.

Also in March, ChargePoint announced a new partnership with autonomous truck developer Gatik with the goal of developing what it calls an "electric ecosystem" for autonomous vehicles for the business-to-business, short haul logistics sector. 

The goal of the partnership is to improve operational efficiency for ChargePoint and Gatik's customers across North America by providing convenient charging options for Gatik's growing fleet of electric box trucks.

As part of the partnership, the two companies will build out infrastructure and integrated service solutions to help Gatik and ChargePoint customers meet their corporate sustainability goals, using zero-emissions electric trucks. This strategic EV charging collaboration for the middle mile will play a key role in electrifying the logistics sector, the companies said.

Last year, ChargePoint was selected as the charging partner of Polestar, which is the new EV brand jointly operated by Swedish automaker Volvo Cars and Chinese automaker Geely. The partnership with ChargePoint provides Polestar drivers with access to one of the world's largest EV charging networks.

The Polestar 2 is the world's first production vehicle to come with Google's Android OS built-in. Drivers of the Polestar 2 can access ChargePoint's embedded charging app right from the vehicle's Android Automotive OS-powered infotainment system. 

ChargePoint also offers Polestar customers access to its EV charging station map data, which integrates with the vehicle's in-dash navigation unit. 

The new Android-based ChargePoint app for the Polestar 2 eliminates the need for drivers to pull out their smartphones or RFID card to initiate or pay for a charging session, making charging an easier process for EV drivers.  

Although companies like Tesla, EVgo, Electrify America and ChargePoint are actively building out public EV charging networks in the U.S., there are still not nearly enough chargers to go around as the EV adoption rate ticks upward.

In February, The U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy announced that nearly $5 billion will be made available under the new "National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure" (NEVI) Formula Program established by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which recently passed in Congress. The fund will be used to build out a national electric vehicle charging network to make EV charging more accessible in the U.S.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.