The Spark Charge

This is Richard Des Jardins, the CEO at The Spark Charge, a new and exciting business in the Tampa Florida area with plans for further growth throughout the US. Frustration and lack of safe and comfortable availability to charge have been common throughout the US. How can we make a difference?

It is true that the demand for charging stations in the US is low. In fact, there have been many charging locations setup, that get very little traffic and make no money. However, looking at National statistics does not give a good picture of the areas that are in need for more. There are major cities that have really embraced EVs.

The problems we are solving are specific to these cities. In reality, nobody is interested in remote, stand-alone chargers and places like garages or car dealerships or any other random isolated place. People are charging in populated areas that have restrooms and food.

The Model that is successful for Tesla is the Host Partnerships where they put a charger in an existing host business like WAWA. WAWA provides the amenities and benefits from the additional traffic from EV drivers.

The problem is that these cities are already at capacity with host partners. There are very little or NO additional acceptable places to use. I am focusing on Tampa. In Tampa, every single WAWA is full most of the day with a waiting list of frustrated EV drivers waiting to charge. People are even getting hostile fighting for the next charging stalls. The restrooms at WAWA are very, just OK. They are small, and not always completely operational, and certainly can be cleaner. In Florida alone, Tampa, Orlando, and Miami are all in need of more charging locations.

The Spark Charge is the solution. We offer a Technology driven Hospitality first EV charging solution. We will open in strategic locations putting ourselves in direct competition with Tesla Chargers at overcrowded WAWAs. We will take their overflow while gaining loyalty through incredible service.

Furthermore, each site will be beautifully landscaped. The charging lots will be covered. There will be secure, single use self cleaning smart restrooms. There will be attractive food and beverage and specialty coffee options. We have the combination of EV charging, food, and restrooms which is where the market is, but doing it better. We don't have to rely on a host partner, so can offer a much better environment that will demand loyalty.

One of the biggest problems with existing WAWA locations is that there is no management of those waiting for available charging stalls. It is a disorganized mess!

We have a solution to that. When we are at capacity, we will have a waiting lot. EV drivers will be able to use the app and enter their waiting location. It will add them to the queue. When a stall opens up, it will reserve it to the next person in the queue and notify the driver what stall is reserved for them. This is a needed feature to assure a calm and peaceful experience for everyone.

Technology drives the solution. The app will interface with chargers and initiate a charging session, complete a charging session, view food menu and order food, unlock the secure, clean restrooms, and make payments. We will also build software for our advanced Energy Management System to manage peak charging levels and control charging rates.

Are you ready to be a part of the future of EV charging?