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600 Lake Shore Drive Condominium Association -
EV Charging Case Study

A leading Chicago high-rise and Epic Charging
complete migration of 148 Enel X chargers

Introduction

Nationwide demand for EVs continues to grow, with Cox Automotive reporting that US EV sales in 2024 hit 1.3 million units, an increase of 7.3% from 2023 and a 15.2% fourth quarter year-over-year jump. Moreover, multifamily units now account for about 31% of all US housing, and with most charging happening at home, multifamily property owners are realizing that the rapid deployment of scalable EV charging infrastructure is critical to maintaining an edge in the market. Studies show surging EV demand also positively affects property values, with a 2025 Urban Land Institute analysis cited by CBRE indicating EV chargers can inflate property values by up to 15%, meaning property owners who choose to ignore this data could be missing out on significant earnings. At the forefront of this EV growth is the State of Illinois, which recently set an ambitious goal of registering one million EVs by 2030.
Background
600 Lake Shore Drive is a leading-edge, residential high-rise condominium complex in Chicago, Illinois that has positioned itself as a vanguard in the world of luxury urban living. The two-tower property boasts a total of 401 elegantly appointed one-, two- and three-bedroom units with sweeping views of Lake Michigan along with state-of-the-art fitness and business centers, two furnished roof decks, community lounges and a golf simulator. Many 600 Lake Shore Drive residents were especially favorable of the State’s EV goals, with more than 25% of the units opting for an EV charger in their dedicated parking space. In response, property management quickly put in 148 Enel X JuiceBox EV chargers, making it one of the largest residential EV charging installations to date.

Challenges

In October of 2024, Italian energy company Enel Group announced the shutdown of its North American charging business, giving charge point operators (CPOs) just nine days’ notice before taking its charging station management system (CSMS) offline. The fact that Enel used proprietary firmware incompatible with other providers instantly exposed CPOs’ vulnerability to vendor lock-in, with severe consequences like a loss of control capabilities and a potentially arduous process transitioning to a new CSMS. 600LSD was one of many CPOs compromised by the shutdown, meaning they needed a solution fast to prevent upsetting dozens of residents who made transportation, property and other lifestyle choices in reliance on the installation’s functional operation.
Solution
The Condominium Association chose Epic over several other interested suitors to migrate their Enel X chargers thanks to our OCPP-compliant firmware and ultra-responsive support services. Understanding time was of the essence, our CTO, Michael Fridshtand, traveled to Chicago to personally oversee the transition, providing valuable hands-on experience as he helped the building’s IT team reconfigure the network. We were able to tailor custom engineering solutions to meet the Associations’ needs, including solving RFID authentication obstacles that were a result of discontinued Enel X hardware. We also enrolled the property in local utility company ComEd’s Voluntary Load Reduction program, which helps support grid reliability during peak hours while still satisfying resident charging needs. The result was a seamless and hassle-free transition that ensured tenants never lost charger operability.

Impact

The Association celebrated having new turnkey software that was even more robust than Enel’s, with customizable dashboards for better control and reporting, flexible white-label capabilities that eschewed the need for third-party developers, and interoperability that ensured they could scale as demand grew while ending vendor lock-in. Residents were equally pleased, as they could now use Epic’s mobile app and RFID cards to activate, schedule, monitor and pay for their charging sessions. And with real-time visibility and analytics, they could optimize electricity usage by scheduling charging during off-peak hours. The building could also benefit from load-limiting features that reduce infrastructure strain, support future charger expansion and improve profitability, including ComEd’s VLR program, which pays participating sites at least 25 cents per curtailed kWh during peak-demand events.

Key Highlights

  • Speed
    We were able to migrate 600LSD’s chargers quickly to prevent inconvenient downtime.
  • Flexibility
    The property is now able to customize their CSMS interface for optimal control and branding.
  • Service
    We worked onsite with the property’s IT team to facilitate a smooth transition and ensure management’s needs were met.
  • Profitability
    We were able to keep costs down while facilitating an amenity that boosts resident interest and brings in revenue.
  • Seamlessness
    Residents experienced no noticeable interruption in service.
  • Future-Proof
    Our OCPP-compliant software provides the property with the peace of mind that they can adapt as EV technology continues to change and grow.

Conclusion

The confluence of (A) increased demand for EV charging infrastructure and (B) multifamily housing means that multifamily property owners seeking to compete in the market ignore electric mobility at their peril. Multifamily residents across not just Illinois but the entire country have been voting with their wallets for sustainable transportation solutions, as record-setting year-over-year EV sales show, with property owners standing to benefit in multiple ways, from added revenue streams to increased property values. The key is to partner with a software provider that offers a user-friendly, OCPP-compliant solution – one that maximizes uptime, minimizes grid strain, supports future expansion and offers unparalleled customer support for a worry-free experience.

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