How EV charging revenue share works — a plain-language breakdown

When a property manager first hears "zero cost — and you earn a revenue share," the natural reaction is skepticism. What's the catch? Where does the money actually come from? And what does the property realistically earn?

These are exactly the right questions. The revenue share model is how companies like Enertech can afford to install and operate EV charging at no cost to the property — and it's worth understanding clearly before you evaluate whether a partnership makes sense for your community.

Where the money comes from

When a resident charges their EV at your property, they pay a per-session fee — either through a mobile app or an RFID card. That fee is the source of all revenue in the program.

In Colorado, typical Level 2 residential charging rates run somewhere in the range of $0.20–$0.45 per kWh, or a flat session fee depending on how the program is configured. A full charge from a depleted battery on a midsize EV — say, a Tesla Model 3 or Chevy Bolt — uses roughly 60–75 kWh. Most residents aren't charging from empty; they're topping off. The average session at a multifamily charger tends to be shorter and uses less energy than a full charge.

The revenue from those sessions is split between Enertech and the property. Enertech uses its share to cover hardware, electrical infrastructure, ongoing operations, maintenance, monitoring, and the overhead of running the program. The property keeps its share as passive income — no management required.

What drives the size of the revenue share

The specific revenue share percentage varies by property and is negotiated as part of the partnership agreement. What matters more to most property managers is understanding what actually drives how much money the property earns each month:

Number of chargers. More ports, more potential sessions. A property with 4 chargers will generate less than one with 12 — all else being equal. Program sizing should reflect actual demand; too few chargers limits revenue, while too many means chargers sit idle. Enertech sizes programs based on property size, parking configuration, and estimated resident EV adoption.

Utilization rate. A charger that gets used twice a day generates more revenue than one used twice a week. Utilization is driven by how many EV drivers live at the property, whether the chargers are well-placed and easy to access, and whether residents know how to use them. Properties in high-EV markets — Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins — tend to see faster charger adoption and higher utilization.

Session rate. The per-kWh or per-session rate affects both resident cost and total revenue. Rates are set to be competitive with public charging alternatives while being fair to residents who rely on in-building charging as their primary option.

What a property realistically earns

We don't publish specific revenue projections in this format, because they vary too much by property to be meaningful without a site-specific analysis. What we can say honestly:

• Most properties with 4–8 chargers and reasonable utilization earn a few hundred dollars per month in their first year, growing as more residents adopt EVs
• Properties in high-EV markets with higher utilization earn more; properties in early-adoption markets earn less initially but grow as adoption rises
• The first payment typically arrives 30–60 days after the chargers go live
• Revenue generally increases over time as EV adoption grows — both nationally and within the existing resident pool

The free assessment Enertech provides includes a site-specific revenue projection based on your property's size, parking layout, and local EV adoption data. That projection is our honest estimate — not a sales number.

Why it's in Enertech's interest to keep chargers running

This is the question that resolves the "too good to be true" skepticism for most property managers: Enertech only earns revenue when chargers are used. If a charger is broken, offline, or poorly maintained, we lose money. That alignment of incentives is structural — it's not a service commitment we make voluntarily, it's built into the economics of how the program works.

This is a meaningful distinction from the vendor model, where a company sells you hardware and charges maintenance fees regardless of whether the chargers are actually generating value. In the revenue share model, the operator's income depends entirely on charger uptime and resident satisfaction. That's why we invest in 24/7 remote monitoring, proactive maintenance, and local Colorado technicians who can respond quickly when on-site repair is needed.

How the revenue share compares to owning chargers yourself

Some property managers ask why they shouldn't just buy chargers, own them outright, and keep all the charging revenue. It's a fair question, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you're comparing.

If you purchase and operate chargers yourself, you do keep all session revenue. But you also absorb all costs — hardware ($1,500–$4,000+ per unit), installation and electrical work (highly variable, often $10,000–$40,000+ for a meaningful program), ongoing maintenance, software subscriptions, and the management burden of handling resident issues, outages, and billing disputes.

In most multifamily scenarios, the zero-cost partnership model — where Enertech covers everything and the property earns a share — comes out ahead on a net basis, especially when you factor in the operational lift saved. A free assessment can run the comparison for your specific property with actual numbers.

How Colorado incentive programs fit in

Colorado's EV incentive landscape — Xcel Energy rebates, Charge Ahead Colorado grants — primarily benefits the party funding the installation. In Enertech's model, that's Enertech. We use those programs to offset installation costs, which is part of how the zero-cost model works financially.

For properties that choose to self-fund installations, those same programs are available — though navigating Xcel's pre-project application process and Charge Ahead's eligibility requirements takes time and expertise. Enertech handles all of this on behalf of every property we work with.

If you're evaluating whether a partnership or self-funded installation makes more sense for your property, the starting point is understanding your actual costs and revenue potential. A free assessment covers both — along with a clear picture of which incentive programs your property qualifies for and what each path looks like financially.