Chargepoint Plans to Install Roughly 2,500 Charging Ports at U.S. Multifamily Residences

Living in an apartment complex can still be challenging for EV drivers. While nearly 80% of EV charging in the United States happens at home, many apartment residents lack access to Level 2 chargers and are forced to depend on public charging infrastructure.

To help address the problem, ChargePoint has partnered with OBE Power to deploy about 2,500 charging ports at multifamily housing properties across the U.S. beginning this year. Under the agreement, OBE Power will own and operate the chargers while handling energy reimbursement, carbon credit revenue, maintenance, insurance, and repairs at no cost to landlords.

The turnkey model is designed to simplify EV charger adoption for apartment owners and property managers. If drivers encounter charging issues, OBE Power, not the building operators, will manage customer support and maintenance. ChargePoint will supply the charging hardware, though drivers will still pay to charge their vehicles.

The companies already work together on EV charging deployments at hotels and hospitality properties and are now expanding their partnership into multifamily housing. The first installations are expected at condominium properties nationwide in the near future.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, ChargePoint currently operates more than 45,000 EV charging stations and over 80,000 charging ports across the country. More than 75,000 of those are Level 2 chargers, which are ideal for locations where vehicles remain parked for extended periods, such as apartment complexes, workplaces, and shopping centers.

The new deployments will further strengthen ChargePoint’s position in the Level 2 charging market, expanding its network to roughly 78,000 Level 2 ports nationwide.

Multifamily Housing Has Become One of the Biggest Barriers to EV Adoption in the United States

For millions of Americans, owning an electric vehicle is no longer the biggest hurdle. Charging it at home is.

Multifamily housing has become one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption in the United States. While most EV owners charge overnight at home, apartment residents often do not have access to dedicated parking spaces or Level 2 chargers. That leaves many drivers relying on public charging stations, which can be more expensive, less convenient, and less reliable than home charging.

The challenge is massive because a large share of Americans live in apartments, condominiums, and other multifamily properties, especially in major urban areas where EV adoption could have the greatest environmental impact. According to a 2019 survey conducted by the American Housing Survey and the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 43.9 million residences, or 31.4% of housing in the U.S. today, are multifamily.

Without reliable home charging, many consumers simply decide an EV is not practical for their lifestyle.

Installing chargers at multifamily properties is also more complicated than adding them to single-family homes. Property owners must deal with electrical upgrades, permitting, parking logistics, maintenance, insurance, and questions about who pays for the electricity. In older buildings, limited electrical capacity can make installations even more difficult and expensive.

For landlords, the return on investment has not always been clear. Many property owners are hesitant to invest thousands of dollars into charging infrastructure without guaranteed tenant demand. At the same time, tenants increasingly view EV charging as an essential amenity, similar to high-speed internet or in-unit laundry.

The good news is that the industry is beginning to respond. Companies like ChargePoint, OBE Power and SWTCH are rolling out turnkey solutions that remove much of the burden from property owners by handling installation, operations, maintenance, and billing.

SWTCH Energy Launches SWTCH Tap™: One-Tap EV Charging That Works Even Offline

In April, EVinfo.net had the honor of working with SWTCH, one of the greatest companies tackling the multifamily EV charging problem.

SWTCH Energy launched SWTCH Tap™, a new feature within its SWTCH Cortex platform that allows EV drivers to start charging sessions with a single smartphone tap, even in areas without cellular service.

The technology uses NFC to instantly identify both the charger and the driver’s account, eliminating the need for QR codes, app downloads, or cloud-based authentication delays. SWTCH says the system is designed to improve charging reliability in underground garages, parking structures, and remote locations where connectivity is often poor.

SWTCH Tap supports three connectivity scenarios: full online access, driver phones with no signal, and complete site-wide network outages. In outage situations, the system uses local intelligence and cached user data through SWTCH Nexus edge computing to authorize charging sessions without relying on the cloud. Billing and transaction data automatically sync once connectivity is restored.

According to CEO Carter Li, the goal is to eliminate charging interruptions caused by weak or unavailable network connections and create a seamless charging experience for EV drivers.

To learn more, visit https://swtchenergy.com.