Houston innovators podcast episode 97
How this entrepreneur is preparing Houston for the future of electric vehicles
If you live in Texas and you drive an electric vehicle, you probably own a home — mostly because homeowners have a place to safely charge their vehicle. Apartment dwellers don't have that option in most residences. But David Aaronson is trying to change that.
Aaronson, a Houston real estate veteran, founded Refuel Electric Vehicle Solutions, or REVS, last year to become the go-between for multifamily property owners and managers and the charging technology providers. Basically, Aaronson, a reseller for EV charging ports, is targeting multifamily companies and brokering the deal to install one or two charging ports now — as well as supporting scalability for when even more EVs hit the Texas roads.
"It's a new industry," Aaronson says on this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast. "You have the manufacturers who are all so busy — they really don't have the time to find new business."
So REVS picks up the slack to provide a service that's only going to grow in demand. On his plate right now is educating his clients and potential clients.
"We find that with everyone we run into, there's an education process," he explains.
From what types of technology is available to whether or not the property is even equipped with enough electricity to support a charging station, Aaronson says he has to go through this process with everyone. Another challenge he faces is his potential clients not seeing the benefits at the moment. He says some of the property managers want to kick the can down the road, so to speak, but that road is getting shorter and shorter.
EVolve Houston, founded in part by the city, predicts that EV sales locally will make up 30 percent of annual new car sales by 2030. Aaronson says they reported that Houston has around 15,000 EVs on the road today, but by 2030, that's going to be 600,000.
"If it's not 2030 it's going to be 2032, because it's all the manufacturers are making," Aaronson says. "It's just a matter of time."
By installing the equipment, Aaronson says he's offering multifamily property owners a new revenue stream because tenants will pay to use the charging station. Plus, it's a perk that can be a dealbreaker for future residents.
"If you just have one person driving an electric vehicle that doesn't lease at your apartment because you don't have a station, you've lost money," he says on the show.
Aaronson explains he got into this new business that he now has such a passion for, as well as how how he's excited to grow his company alongside the growth of EVs and their necessary infrastructure on the episode. Listen to the full interview below — or wherever you stream your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.
