FreeWire Technologies Announces Zero Up-Front Cost Program For Businesses
One big challenge I want to see tackled is rural EV charging. By rural, I don’t mean small towns along the interstate, but rather places along the other U.S. and state highways that people like to visit but can’t easily get to in an EV. Last year, I decided I was really cool and that I could probably find businesses willing to host EV charging stations. After all, in my past business endeavors, I’ve gone out cold calling and had good luck with that approach selling everything from training services to photography for real estate.
FreeWire seemed like a great option for places like that, because many of these small towns don’t have a utility connection that can support fast charging. With built-in batteries, just about any rural business could have one installed on a smaller utility connection, getting a constant slower charge and the ability to give EVs a quick dump of power. Once I had the right contact information, I started reaching out to rural businesses all around the Southwest.
But I figured out pretty quickly that rural businesses are very, very skeptical of EV charging. Along the backroads, they just don’t see that many customers show up with an EV, so they assume that nobody wants to drive an EV out there. But, people don’t drive EVs out there much because there’s a lack of fast charging infrastructure. Because the companies can’t really know what the revenue would look like, they’re very hesitant to even consider investing in charging infrastructure.
Talking with the people at FreeWire, I heard the same thing from them. It’s not an easy thing to sell unless you find a very forward-leaning business owner who can see the potential and is in a position to take some risk. Otherwise, the nicer people politely tell you “No” and the less polite will hang up on you or demand to know why somebody else isn’t willing to install a station at their amazing business.
But, there’s some good news for those skeptical business owners: FreeWire’s new Accelerate Program. Instead of trying to sell the station hardware and a service plan, the company is now giving business owners Connecticut option.
“The Accelerate Program demonstrates our conviction in the improving economics of EV charging. We are investing our capital to promote our customers’ businesses, enabling them to market an EV offering under their brand with zero upfront costs. This is an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to leverage the growing need for this amenity,” said Arcady Sosinov, FreeWire Founder and CCO. “At FreeWire, we envision a future where EV adoption is uninhibited by available charging infrastructure, and the Accelerate Program is a crucial step towards making that vision a reality.”
Under the program, FreeWire pays for the equipment and installation, and retains ownership. But the business is allowed to brand the EV charging stations with their own logos, get access to important usage data, run promotions on the massive 24″ display, and get a cut of the revenue with a minimum amount each month to lease the parking spaces the equipment occupies. In other words, the risk is almost zero while the business gets a shot at profit. Who doesn’t like that?
There’s an option available in the program to own or buy the stations after a few years if they work out, or continue leasing space for the equipment. And, of course, a company can buy the gear outright or finance a purchase from the get-go. This just gives business owners another option they can use to get a charging program going that best fits their needs.
Perhaps most importantly, this new option gives business owners the opportunity to present the charging effort to customers as their own, and not as part of some network they’re sharing space with. This can not only impress customers, but can help build a long-term charging brand for the business if it chooses to buy the stations later or expand the program to other locations.
FreeWire says that Chevron is among the first customers under this new program (as shown in the featured image), no doubt due to these advantages (on top of the other advantages of a battery-powered charger).
If you’re a small business owner and you’re interested in learning more, be sure to check out FreeWire’s website and apply for the program!
Featured image by FreeWire Technologies.
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