Many business lives ago, before working in EV charging, I worked in real estate finance on the portfolio management team of a multibillion-dollar REIT. I quickly learned that while financial modeling can be complex, the fundamentals of real estate finance are relatively simple. Beyond the universal mantras of “buy low and sell high” or “location, location, location,” it all ties back to a simple formula that in most cases an increase in Net Operating Income (NOI) equals an increase in property value.

In today’s market where capital is expensive and competition for residents is fierce, finding ways to capture incremental NOI, while reducing vacancy rates and incurred costs, is everything. A strategic and efficient way to increase NOI is by offering strong amenities that attract and retain residents.

Many multifamily amenities like package lockers, micro-markets, on-site car sharing, and laundry facilities are often owned or operated by third-party partners. This model reduces risk, capital costs, and operational burdens for property owners, outsourcing these responsibilities to subject matter experts. However, delivering a best-in-class amenity requires working with partners who also benefit from delivering the highest resident satisfaction. EV charging infrastructure should be no different.

EV adoption is steadily increasing—1.2 million EVs were sold globally last month alone—and the ability to charge at home in multifamily properties is no longer a luxury for residents, but an expectation. Although property owners have been led to believe that EV charging will generate significant revenue on its own, in reality, the economics don’t support this. The real value comes from having a sought-after amenity that attracts residents, thus boosting NOI and enhancing property value.

However, it is not as simple as installing a few chargers, especially at scale across a portfolio of properties that spans jurisdictions and utilities. Installing EV chargers requires significant upfront capital, ongoing operational and maintenance costs, and additional investments to add chargers as demand grows—factors that property owners don’t always consider. On top of this, the payback period is long, making EV charging ownership less appealing to property owners.

Because of this, many times, a third-party ownership model that eliminates capital and operational expenditures, preserving capital for core real estate investments, is the best option. But finding the right partner is critical to delivering a high-quality amenity. A popular model in recent years has been Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS), where charging companies provide the capital in return for a monthly fee (Op-Ex), paid by the property owner, for each charging station. This model can be effective for the right property types, like offices, or the right applications, like multifamily properties with dedicated parking spaces, but making sure the charging partner’s incentives, strategy, and goals are aligned with your multifamily property’s is paramount.

Multifamily property owners need a strategic partner who is financially invested in the success of the charging infrastructure, aligning their incentives with yours. At 3V Infrastructure, we fund, design, install, and maintain EV charging. We size installations based on hyperlocal trends, and we add and upgrade chargers as demand increases, balancing construction efficiency with readiness in a market that is growing quickly. With our no-cost multifamily offering, we only get paid when residents charge, and we reimburse electricity costs from day one, so property owners truly pay nothing: no capital expenditures, no operating expenses, and no monthly fees. Our success depends on keeping chargers operational, pricing fairly, and ensuring a seamless charging experience so residents keep coming back. We’re not selling chargers or monthly contracts—we’re investing in properties, delivering a high-value, long-term amenity that increases NOI, and thus intrinsic property value.

While EV charging can be a powerful amenity that boosts NOI, its value hinges on how it’s implemented. By partnering with a provider who is as invested in your property’s success as you are, property owners can preserve capital, elevate the resident experience, and future-proof assets in an increasingly competitive market. 3V Infrastructure’s unique third-party ownership model aligns our incentives with yours to help you get there.