One day I was speaking with a friend about my electric vehicle (EV), a 2017 Chevy Volt. I was explaining how every night I park in my driveway, plug the car in, and wake up to a 100% charge. As with many non-EV owners, charging slowly changes from complexity to simplicity.
My friend then realized that I had virtually a private “gas station” at my own house. He asked, “Is there a way to sell your electricity to electric car drivers?”. I said, “There is! It’s called EVmatch”.
What is EVmatch?
EVmatch was started by Heather Hochrein in 2017. Hochrein wanted to quickly accelerate the EV charging infrastructure by opening up all private homes and commercial sites with chargers to others through a smartphone app. In other words, EVmatch is a peer-to-peer EV charging service much like AirBnb.
We’re on a mission to accelerate EV adoption by making charging easy, reliable, and accessible to all.
EVmatch
The problem is public charging stations are fairly expensive to build and the infrastructure is still quite new. As of January 2021, there are just under 30,000 public charging stations in the United States per the Alternative Data Fuel Center.
While the public charging infrastructure is expanding, it will take some time for new stations to be installed. This limited charging access may prevent some individuals from making the switch to electric as charging is the main concern.
By opening up private homes and even commercial charging with EVmatch, Hochrein has virtually created hundreds of thousands of charging stations for everyone to use. Since the vast majority of EV drivers charge at home, monetizing home charging stations is a really brilliant idea.
How Do You Sell Your Electricity to Electric Car Drivers?
Typically, EV drivers search for public charging stations with the assistance of charging maps like Plugshare. However, in some cases, there is not a public charger nearby. The EV driver can then search through EVmatch’s app to find nearby private homes or commercial sites with charging stations.
For an average fee of $1-2.50/hour, the EV driver pays for the charging access within the app and can begin charging. For non-EV drivers out there, this fee is fairly typical with public charging stations.
As a reward for opening up a private charger, you, the host, receive the payment with a small portion sent to EVmatch for the app service.
With EVmatch, you can sell your electricity to electric car drivers!
Should there be any issues during the charging session, the EV driver can get in touch with the site host through the app.
You can read more FAQs over at EVmatch.
What Are the Benefits of Joining EVmatch?
As an EV driver, there are thousands, potentially, millions of additional charging stations to access with EVmatch. While public charging stations are generally more convenient since they are located at parking garages, grocery stores, or shopping malls, there may be instances when you need to charge and are in a neighborhood.
Alternatively, if you are a renter, it would be cost prohibitive to install a 240V outlet for a charging station since you do not own the home. Instead, there may be a neighbor down the street with a charger willing to let you use it with EVmatch.
As a site host, you can sell your electricity to electric car drivers with EVmatch! Of course, you will need a smart Level 2 charger to connect the car to the outlet. For existing EV drivers with home charging already set up, you can essentially rent your charger to others and generate some income.
Note: the charger must be “smart” in order to connect to EVmatch. This allows the site host to limit access, connect to the EVmatch app, and control payment. Additionally, the charger must have access to Wi-Fi to enable the smart capabilities. The Juicebox by Enel X is a recommended smart Level 2 home EV charger by EVmatch. This can be purchased on Amazon for a little over $600.
Do You Have to Own an EV Driver to Sell Your Electricity to Electric Car Drivers?
No. All you need is a 240V outlet and a smart Level 2 charger (such as the Enel X Juicebox Pro EV charger) if you do not currently have one.
Once you have these two items, then you can simply register on EVmatch as a site host and start selling your electricity to electric car drivers.
How Does EV Match Make Money?
EVmatch takes a small fee from every charging session. This small payment is used to support and maintain the app and EVmatch’s employees. It is similar to AirBnb’s business model.
How Do You Use an EVmatch Charging Station?
- Download the EVmatch from your app store
- Create an account
- Search for nearby charging stations
- Select the charging station you wish to charge at
- Confirm the date and duration you wish to charge
- Confirm and pay
- Begin charging by plugging in the charger to your car
- When the session is completed, return the plug to the charger
- Repeat steps 3-8 when you’d like to charge again!
How Do You Sign Up for EVmatch?
Quite easily either on the web or on the smartphone app (Apple | Android). Begin by selecting to create an account and complete the registration.
Registering an account on EVmatch is free too! The only time payment is required is when you need to access a charging station.
As a bonus, you can use our referral link as a means to support this site!
Closing Thoughts
EVmatch is truly a great innovation in the EV world. By opening up charging access to those with limited options is a really impactful way of increasing the EV adoption.
Over time, EVmatch will build its network so that any home with a 240V outlet and a charger can provide charging access to those who are in need of some more range or those without any home charging.
Hosts who provide charging via EVmatch can not only enjoy the gratification of helping EV drivers, but also earn some income by selling their electricity to electric car drivers!
With the proper charging set up, you can monetize your private “gas station” to EV drivers.
Again, if you found this article helpful and plan on signing up for a free EVmatch account, you may use our referral link. We’ll receive a small fee that will be used to create more content like this.
Hi there! I’m the founder and project manager at Charged Future: the EV charging consultancy. Charged Future helps businesses achieve their EV charging goals. Specifically, I serve as the project manager for your EV charging project, which can save you both time and money! Additionally, I can search and apply to all eligible rebate applications, which can typically cover a large portion of the project cost.
