Orlando-headquartered Novacharge, an EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) company, has partnered with Philadelphia-based Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) to install and maintain EV charging stations for local governments, multifamily properties and businesses nationwide, Comcast announced on August 17.
Novacharge’s AI-driven Novabot monitoring and analysis system was a key factor in the formation of the partnership, said Chairman and CEO Oscar Rodriguez of Novacharge. As a result, jobs are likely to be added at its Orlando headquarters and in the field later this year, added Tami Timperio, Novacharge VP of Marketing.
All charging stations that are installed and/or serviced by Novacharge — Novacharge also offers service-only plans — are connected to a digital network that's serviced by a digital machine with an artificial intelligence engine.
“The machine behaves like a human being. It opens a ticket when it sees a problem and attempts to rectify whatever the situation is. If it cannot solve something, then the ticket moves to the Tier 2 ticket queue, which is where humans get involved,” said Rodriguez. “Then we can send a local electrician to figure out what's going on. But more importantly, we have a complete record and an analysis of what happened to that particular charger every step of the way.”
The data collected helps Novacharge improve its systems and performance, anticipating potential problems and discovering areas that can be optimized.
The new contract with Comcast is relevant to the telecommunication giant’s Smart Solutions division, which for three years has been expanding beyond the connectivity-related products and services that Comcast is traditionally known for, said Mike Slovin, vice president and manager of Comcast Smart Solutions.
“Customers were asking us to help with needs beyond connectivity. They were asking for solutions like EV charging, video analytics and smart office technology,” he said. “Originally we were focused on one market segment, which was the city space called ‘smart cities.’ Then we moved into a more traditional Comcast business area which we call ‘Xfinity communities,’ our multifamily space segment.”
Comcast will function as a reseller for Novacharge, offering packages that include hardware, software, network, optional turnkey installation, maintenance, upgrade services and customer support to help customers in their adoption of EV charging infrastructure.
Slovin said most EVSE companies install an EV charger and then walk away, but Comcast prioritized ongoing maintenance, which heavily influenced the decision to partner with Novacharge.
Novacharge was established in 2008, originally setting up headquarters in Oldsmar, a small city north of Tampa.
“After four years we realized that we were a little bit challenged in terms of getting direct access to the early-adopter customers that wanted to invest in EV stations back then,” said Rodriguez. “The city of Orlando and OUC catapulted us in a different direction. Also, where we're located near Millenia Mall, we're at the crossroads of I-4 and the Turnpike, which puts us in a really great position for shipping and receiving.”
Novacharge
Leadership: Chairman and CEO Oscar Rodriguez
Established: 2008
Location: 4201 Vineland Rd. Suite I-5, Orlando, FL 32811
Contact: novacharge.net
Sign up here for The Beat, Orlando Inno’s free newsletter. And be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
