Business Objective
The Legacy, managed by FirstService Residential, is a 374-unit condominium building with 700 resident-owned parking spaces, located in Minneapolis’s Mill District.
The luxury condo complex wanted to expand their EV charging capability and allow every homeowner to install a charger in their owned parking spaces within available building power capacity of 1700 amps. The building’s several existing EV chargers ran on dedicated circuits, which was not a viable option with the limited electrical power available. The Legacy chose to implement a system with sophisticated load management to achieve their EV charging goals. The HOA also sought a
fully-managed solution to ensure that it, and the management company, avoided
the complex administration of individual electrical payments. The building needed
a partner who could bill residents based on their usage and reimburse the HOA
for the electricity used. The Legacy gathered interest from their homeowners, 80
of which committed to installing chargers, and another 67 who committed to installing electrical circuits which were charger ready.
Solution
EverCharge, along with local electrical contractor Golden Electric, delivered a turnkey, custom solution based on our patented SmartPower technology. This equipped the Legacy with enough power for the current expansion and easy future scaling. With our solution, they can at least double the number of charging stations in the future, if desired.
The key to making the expansion possible was utilizing the building’s available
power capacity effectively to maximize the number of potential charger installations. This was achieved by utilizing unused meter banks and power in the electric vaults that could serve as a major source of power. This allowed the building to access available power first, before turning to outside sources. Unlike other EV charging providers who evaluated the site, EverCharge, along with Golden Electric, was able
to maximize unused power from within the building. This provided a far more
cost-effective solution than simply adding outside power to the building, an expensive alternative required by other providers.
Outcome
With EverCharge, The Legacy scaled charging quickly and cost effectively, avoiding hundreds of thousands of dollars on trenching and transformers, and eliminating the need for new switchgear, demand charges, permitting and outside servicing costs. The sophisticated power management also saved power for future use, enabling them to double the number of charging stations when needed.
With a November 2023 start date, the project was planned to be completed by June of 2024. EverCharge consistently stayed ahead of schedule, delivering a live solution to some residents in February 2024, and a fully completed site in March 2024.
According to the HOA, this project has made The Legacy one of the most EV friendly multifamily residential condominium buildings in the state of Minnesota. It delivered a fully-managed, convenient and seamless charging experience for current and future residents, elevating the building’s attractiveness to realtors and new residents.
HIGHLIGHTS
Business objective
Maximize use of available power, and scale EV charging, while avoiding unnecessary
infrastructure investments
Solution
Scalable turnkey charging solution leveraging
EverCharge’s technology
Outcome
Created one of the most EV-friendly residential condominium buildings in the state of Minnesota with 80 new charging stations, 67 additional charger-ready circuits installed and the ability to scale to 210 charging stations using existing electrical power; while avoiding what could have been hundreds of thousands of dollars on utility upgrades.
“We’re excited to be partnering with EverCharge, who delivered an efficient, cost effective and easy-to-use solution for The Legacy and its residents.
We chose EverCharge because they were able to deliver EV charging at scale, while maximizing
the smart use of existing building power. With EverCharge, and their skilled installers’ help, our residents now have access to a valuable amenity while our Association has avoided costly electrical upgrades and complex administrative work.”
— Mike Thyken, Board Vice President, The Legacy
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