Situation
1940 Vallejo, a luxury co-op in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood, is a late 1920s building with 11 units. Like many older properties, 1940 Vallejo lacked the necessary capacity to add enough EV charging infrastructure to the property to satisfy resident demand.
Some residents already had EVs, and others were starting to think about making the switch. One resident had set up their own charger, which wasn’t installed properly and wasn’t a long-term solution as it lacked scalability and safety features. As a result, the board wanted a solution that would be equal for everyone.
The HOA started reaching out to EV charging providers; however, most options were expensive, confusing, and didn’t offer a cost-effective or feasible way to scale in a building with limited electrical capacity. On top of that, there were questions about how a system could adapt if residents changed parking spots.
Solution
Pando proposed a simpler, more flexible option that made sense right away. Instead of upgrading the building’s electrical infrastructure, something that would likely have cost several hundred thousand dollars, Pando instead simply optimized the existing panel capacity. Leveraging the innovative daisy chaining plus adaptive load management setup to ensure all residents have charging without increasing building energy capacity.
Along with the hardware solution, Pando ensured the day-to-day experience was easy for residents. The Pando Mobile App lets residents control and connect to their outlet from anywhere. Starting and stopping a charge session can be at the convenience of their apartment, not a dark garage.
Additionally, Pando worked with San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to bring costs even lower, thanks to their EV charging incentives. The Pando team handled the paperwork, worked directly with the city, and ended up helping the building secure funding much quicker than expected.
Results
Today, every parking spot in the building has EV charging installed, so there’s no concern over changing parking spots or only a select few with EV charging access. Residents can charge anytime, and the HOA can bill them for what they use, ensuring the financial stability of the project. With 24/7 support, the property doesn’t have to manage a thing.
In the end, through SFPUC and IBEW, Pando Electric was able to help the property save 60% of the project costs. Pando completely avoided the expensive infrastructure upgrades and complicated systems to manage charging stations. Now the building is set up to support EV adoption for the long haul.
“The Pando team was more in-depth in explaining the technology and how it worked... EV charging is not super complicated, but if you’re not familiar with it, it can feel a bit overwhelming.”
— a 1940 Vallejo HOA board member
