Since 2020, the State of Georgia has created well over 27,000 jobs in the electric vehicle industry.
That number is only set to grow, thanks to startups like EnviroSpark building in Atlanta.
The husband and wife team behind EnviroSpark, Aaron and Stephanie Luque, have grown their team from 15 to 120 in the span of 2 years. The team recently opened a new office on the Westside of town and has plans to bring the team to 200 by the end of the year.
EnviroSpark has made national headlines with its work on national charging sites for Tesla, Volkswagen, and Rivian. But Aaron said he is dedicated to building his startup in Georgia.
Aaron has been working in the EV space since 2014, back when he said there was a “perception that EVs were just for hippies or rich people.” Now that EV adoption is gaining steam with individual users and municipalities alike, EnviroSpark has installed its charging stations at State Parks, downtown tourist attractions, retailers, and public golf courses around Atlanta.
In fact, EnviroSpark has installed 2,000 stations across the State of Georgia to date.
Aaron told Hypepotamus that number could grow substantially as EnviroSpark works more in the multifamily space.
Multifamily Moves
Luque said working with multifamily residential spaces is particularly close to his heart, since adding a few charging stations opens up the possibility of EV ownership to so many more people. By bringing charging stations to assigned parking lots, EnviroSpark is betting that more condo owners or apartment renters will feel comfortable making the switch to EVs.
It also allows HOAs and rental offices to compete on amenities they can offer residents. Aaron said that EnviroSpark works with multifamily units in several ways. Communities can either own and operate the charging stations, or EnviroSpark can own them and users can pay per charge (which typically runs a driver around $10).
That second option means that an entire HOA won’t be charged for the station usage. EnviroSpark takes on all the capital costs associated with installation and it works through any maintenance issues, making it more appealing to the wider builder community as well.
“What we’re finding in multifamily space a lot of the time is they don’t want to deal with the headaches associated with managing and maintaining these [stations]. They are not a business trying to make a profit on them…and a lot of times [HOAs] may not have the capital to pay for them in the first place,” Aaron told Hypepotamus.
EnviroSpark has already had some major wins in the multifamily space. Earlier this year, the startup inked a deal with Wood Partners, a national multifamily developer based out of Atlanta, to install charges at their properties. The team also has more partnerships coming in at more condo associations across the metro region.
Why EV Now
Hypepotamus has covered the emerging EV landscape across the Southeast over the last few years. From car OEMs moving in to new startups looking to retrofit the grid, the region is leading the charge in getting country ready for an electric future.
Governor Kemp has announced that he wants to make Georgia the “electric mobility capital of America,” and the state legislators recently overhauled EV charging payments to make it more equitable.
Aaron said this momentum is excited about the future of EVs across the state.
“It’s just really neat to see people on both sides of the aisle, from local city governments all the way out to Kemp and Ossoff promoting EV adoption in a positive way because they recognize the benefits to our citizens and the economic benefits that it brings in terms of job creation,” added Aaron.
