The EV charging industry has been in rapid evolution for several years, and many Colorado multifamily properties that installed chargers through Blink, ChargePoint, or other early-market providers are now dealing with the consequences of contracts and hardware decisions that didn't age well. Outdated charger models, rising network fees, slow support response times, and unfavorable revenue structures are common complaints.
If your property is in this situation, here's what switching providers actually involves — including the contract considerations that catch most properties off guard.
Why Colorado multifamily properties switch EV charging providers
The reasons vary, but common themes emerge across properties we talk to:
- Hardware reliability. Older charger models — particularly first and second-generation networked Level 2 chargers installed during the 2015–2020 period — have higher failure rates as they age. Blink's earlier hardware, in particular, developed a poor reputation for reliability at multifamily installations.
- Support responsiveness. National charging network providers support thousands of locations. A single multifamily property with two to four chargers is not a high-priority account for their support team. When a charger goes down on a Friday evening, the timeline to resolution can stretch into days.
- Network fee increases. Many early contracts had low or subsidized network fees that increased significantly at renewal. Properties that signed agreements with favorable fee structures in 2019 are now seeing substantially higher costs on renewal.
- Unfavorable revenue terms. Some early multifamily EV charging agreements gave the network provider a significant portion of session revenue with limited transparency into how rates were set. Properties that discover how much revenue is flowing to the network rather than the property are often motivated to renegotiate or switch.
- Technology obsolescence. Charger standards and resident expectations have evolved. A property with older chargers that lack features residents now expect — faster charging speeds, app-based session control, RFID access management — is at a disadvantage against competing properties with newer hardware.
Understanding your current contract before you do anything else
Before taking any steps toward switching, locate and read your current agreement with your EV charging provider. This is the step most properties skip — and it's where unpleasant surprises live.
Key contract provisions to understand:
Term and auto-renewal
Most commercial EV charging agreements have multi-year terms (typically 3–7 years) with automatic renewal clauses. If you don't provide written notice of non-renewal within a specified window before the term ends — often 60 to 90 days — the contract automatically renews for another full term. Many properties discover they're locked into an unwanted renewal because they missed this window.
Hardware ownership and removal
Who owns the charging hardware? If the network provider owns it, they will typically remove the equipment when the contract ends. If the property owns it, you may be able to keep the hardware but need to transition it to a new network or operate it independently.
For hardware owned by the provider, removal timing and process should be specified in the agreement. Some agreements require the provider to restore the electrical infrastructure to its prior condition; others do not — leaving the property with mounted conduit and breaker capacity that wasn't there before.
Early termination provisions
Most agreements have early termination clauses with financial penalties — often calculated as a multiple of monthly fees for the remaining contract term. The good news is that early termination provisions are often negotiable, particularly if the provider is in breach (e.g., persistent charger downtime above contractually specified thresholds, or support response SLA violations).
Data and session records
At contract end, what happens to historical charging session data? For properties that have been earning revenue, session records may matter for accounting. Get clarity on data export rights before the contract ends.
Making the case for early termination
If you're mid-contract and want to exit early, the most productive approach is to document your case rather than simply requesting termination. Providers are more likely to negotiate favorable exit terms when the property can demonstrate:
- Persistent charger downtime above the SLA threshold (if one exists)
- Support response failures documented with timestamps
- Fee increases that weren't properly disclosed or that exceed contractually specified limits
- Hardware failures that were not remediated within the contractual timeframe
In our experience helping Colorado properties transition from other providers, many agreements have service level provisions that have been quietly violated over time. Pointing these out is often enough to negotiate a reduced termination fee or a waived penalty.
When we assess a property that wants to switch from an existing provider, we review the current contract as part of the evaluation. We can advise on termination timing, what to look for in SLA compliance history, and how to structure the transition to minimize any gap in charging availability.
For most properties, the transition from an existing provider to Enertech's zero-cost model takes 4–8 weeks once the existing contract is resolved — including electrical assessment, Xcel pre-approval, and installation. The property continues earning from the existing chargers (if operational) until the new installation goes live.
Tell us about your current situationFree assessment. We'll review your current contract and give you an honest read on your options.
What to look for in a replacement provider
Having been through this process, properties often have a clearer sense of what they should have prioritized in their original selection. The most common themes in what properties want from a replacement:
- Clear maintenance responsibility. Who owns the hardware, and who pays for repairs? A managed partnership where the provider owns and maintains all equipment eliminates the property's maintenance exposure entirely.
- Transparent revenue terms. What percentage of charging revenue goes to the property? How are session rates set, and who controls them? Is there a minimum revenue guarantee?
- Defined support SLAs. What's the committed response time when a charger goes offline? What happens if that SLA is not met? Support commitments that exist only in marketing copy and not in contract terms aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
- Local presence. A provider with actual technicians and infrastructure in Colorado will diagnose and resolve site-specific issues faster than a national provider dispatching from a distant hub.
- Reasonable contract terms. Auto-renewal clauses, early termination fees, and term lengths should all be reasonable. A provider confident in their service shouldn't need to lock you in with onerous exit provisions.
For a broader look at provider selection criteria, see our guide: choosing an EV charging partner for your Colorado multifamily property.
What happens to the existing electrical infrastructure
One practical question many properties have: if the old charger hardware is removed, does the electrical work need to be redone?
In most cases, no. The electrical infrastructure — conduit, wiring, panel breakers — installed for the original chargers can typically be reused for a replacement installation. The charging hardware mounts to the same locations and connects to the same circuits. This makes a hardware-only swap significantly less disruptive and less expensive than a full new installation.
We assess the existing electrical infrastructure as part of every replacement evaluation. If the original electrical work was done correctly and is in good condition, we can often reuse it directly. If there are issues — undersized breakers, degraded wiring, poor conduit routing — we'll identify them and address them as part of the transition.