As of Q3, there are over 10.6 million EVs on the road globally. As more drivers transition to EVs, it’s becoming increasingly clear that charging infrastructure isn’t keeping pace. In the U.S., more than 80% of EV charging happens at home, because it’s affordable and convenient—but this option only benefits those in single-family homes. For the millions of Americans living in multifamily housing, access to EV charging remains a challenge.

This gap in infrastructure presents both an opportunity and a pressing need for property owners to stay competitive by attracting and retaining residents. EV charging is already among the top requested amenities for apartment buildings. In the same way that Wi-Fi went from a luxury to a necessity over the past decade, EV charging will soon be a fundamental requirement.

However, the existing models to build EV chargers at multifamily and other long-dwell properties aren’t working. Today, property owners typically own 30 or more properties, but only 5% of them have EV chargers. Early EV charging deployments relied on property owners’ capital, but this approach is unsustainable financially. Ninety percent of costs come from retrofitting properties, profitability takes more than 5 years to realize, and property owners often buy and sell properties before they can see a return on their investment.

Additionally, building a reliable EV charging network across geographies and utilities is complicated, and researching the best solutions for properties is time intensive. A strong charging amenity requires not just an initial investment, but also ongoing capital—sometimes 3-5 times the initial investment—to maintain, upgrade, and expand charging infrastructure as EV adoption increases. Like other amenities, EV charging is most effective when managed by a dedicated provider focused on maintaining a high quality of service.

At its core, EV charging is similar to traditional infrastructure investments – it requires patient capital and long-term financial planning. The Level 2 (L2) EV charging ecosystem is already mature. Software providers have hundreds of thousands of ports online, and hardware has largely become a commodity. What's missing is the right economic model that aligns financial incentives and provides property owners with a reliable, scalable charging amenity for decades.

That’s why we started 3V Infrastructure. We infuse patient capital and industry expertise needed for long-term EV charging infrastructure investments. We handle all upfront expenses, manage operations and maintenance, and scale charging over time to meet demand. Our model is purpose-built for the real estate industry. It allows portfolio owners to focus on their investment strategies without tying up their capital in a charging asset.

Looking back at the adoption of Wi-Fi in the 2010s, we see a clear parallel: at first, Wi-Fi was nice-to-have, then it became an essential utility. Similarly, as EV adoption grows, residents are beginning to expect reliable, affordable, and convenient charging. Property owners will have to offer this amenity to stay competitive. At 3V, we’re simplifying this growing demand by eliminating the capital requirements and creating an economic model that reliably outsources an amenity with the right incentives and long-term vision needed for new infrastructure.