‘We aim to become the standard bearer; bringing electric vehicle charging to the last mile of travel, work, or rent’: Eric R. Broughton, CEO of OK2Charge

“Electric vehicle drivers at our client’s properties can pay in advance, pay as they go, reserve a time to charge, or have dedicated charging/parking locations.”

OK2Charge is the first fully automated electric vehicle (EV) charging solution designed for vacation, multifamily, and single-family rental properties. The company is doing this by building a network of smart charging stations at thousands of destinations — bringing clean energy to the last mile of vacation travel and rental communities. It serves customers across the United States and adding clients internationally.

OK2Charge was incorporated in 2021.

The Silicon Review reached out to OK2Charge’s Florida headquarters and spoke with Eric R. Broughton, who serves as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Here’s what he said.

Interview Highlights

Q. What groundbreaking and proactive methodology does Ok2Charge implement to exceed customer expectations?

Our platform is built with the property owner and operator in mind. By focusing on the property manager, we deliver a seamless guest/resident experience that does not create an additional burden for an already over-stressed staff.

Q. What makes OK2Charge unique? And where does it stand at the moment relative to other participants in the industry?

OK2Charge is the only EV Charging solution focused on automating and monetizing EV charging for property managers and property owners in the short-term and long-term rental sector. Also known as a Vacation Rental, we have found that travelers that drive to their rental property destination want to drive their EV but need to know charging will be available and not inconvenience them while on vacation. They expect to be able to enjoy time with friends and families instead of waiting around while charging at a public charging station. For long term rentals we deliver peace of mind that the chargers are available for residents and the property managers can recover electricity costs.

Q. What are the various smart EV charging solutions Ok2Charge offers?

Because of our team’s decades of experience in multiple real estate verticals we understand the various use cases that affect the traveler and resident experience.

From an EV Charging hardware perspective, we’ve vetted a number of partners and found a couple of world class solutions. Our primary partner is Enel Group. Through our partnership, we offer Level-2 chargers, which means a 220V power supply ranging from 32 to 80 Amps. We do not provide installation services however, as they can be installed by any licensed electrician with no trouble at all. We also have a network of resources nationwide to help with the more complex EV infrastructure upgrade projects.

Our greatest value is in our software solution and proprietary integration with the charging hardware. In Vacation, we send a traveler an email in advance so that they can prepay for use of the charger during their stay or they can pay upon arrival using a simple QR code. Residents at our multiunit or single unit properties can pay as they go, reserve a time to charge, or some property managers have dedicated charging/parking locations.

Q. Will your company be expanding, bringing on any new solutions that we should be aware of?

Over the past 18 months, we’ve spent considerable time and resources building the platform to meet the unique needs of our clients. We do not expect to add significant functionality; however, we will continue to add property management system partners and integrations that make our clients’ EV charging experience even easier.

Q. No doubt OK2Charge is charting new territories in this segment. Given how frequently circumstances change, what plans for transformation are you pursuing to remain relevant now and in the future?

The OK2Charge platform is built from the ground up to be flexible, scalable, and configurable to ensure we meet our clients’ ever-changing needs. We can price charging daily, hourly, or by the kWh down to the individual charger to enable our clients to adapt to the utility rates and client demand in their respective region.

We have found that we are already pushing the envelope of today’s EV chargers, however, we do see great opportunity for Plug and Charge capabilities, which means the charger will recognize your vehicle upon plug-in as well as Vehicle to Grid capabilities, wherein your EV can provide electricity load balancing to your home for additional cost savings.

Q. About the future, where do you see Ok2Charge a couple of years from now?

OK2Charge will become a household name as we deliver a unique value proposition to the property owner and operator while delivering a benefit to every resident and traveler. We aim to become the standard bearer for personal EV charging by bringing EV Charging to the last mile of travel, work, or rent!

Q. What is your final message to The Silicon Review readers; your current and future clients and partners?

Our team is thankful for those that choose to implement EV charging at your vacation homes, rental properties, resorts, and hotels. Creating EV friendly properties is key to accelerating EV adoption for everyone. Together we are making a difference by reducing our carbon footprint on this amazing planet.

Eric R. Broughton | CEO

Eric R. Broughton is a PropTech/SaaS pioneer and leads OK2Charge as CEO. He’s successfully co-founded two startups and turned around another as CEO in addition to holding senior leadership positions in multi-billion dollar organizations. He’s navigated the successful exit of three platforms to public companies with RentSentinel and eSupply to Realpage; and Apartment Jet to Expedia Group.

“From an EV Charging hardware perspective, we’ve vetted a number of partners and found a couple of world class solutions. Our primary partner is Enel Group. Through our partnership, we offer Level-2 chargers, which means a 220V power supply ranging from 32 to 80 Amps.”