Answer extracted from The Pitch podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How much does an It's Electric charger cost and when does it break even?
Each charger costs $10,300 all-in after subsidies, with a payback period of approximately 18 months at 40% utilization. At these rates, a single charger generates roughly $70,000 in lifetime value — a dramatically faster return than traditional fast-charger installations in parking lots, which typically require 10 years to break even.
The economics of curb-level charging
The cost breakdown for an It's Electric charger reflects both manufacturing and deployment complexity. The device itself costs $2,000 to fabricate, with installation running approximately $9,000, for a combined $11,000 pre-subsidy total. This stands in stark contrast to utility-powered charger installations in New York City, which can exceed $180,000 per unit — a barrier that Tia Gordon explains in the full episode is partly due to 18-month procurement cycles for inter-utility connection agreements.
The $10,300 post-subsidy price point enables rapid scaling. At 40% utilization — a realistic assumption for urban curb locations where rideshare drivers lose 20-30% of weekly revenue searching for and waiting for chargers — a single It's Electric unit generates approximately $1,000 in monthly revenue in San Francisco, where the company charges 41 cents per kilowatt hour against a base energy rate of 23 cents.
Why 18 months changes the investment thesis
The 18-month payback period fundamentally reshapes the deployment model. Rather than requiring utilities to wait a decade for returns, cities and property owners can deploy capital at scale much faster, reinvesting profits into additional chargers within two years. This acceleration matters especially for New York City, where 80,000 rideshare vehicles must become fully electric by 2030 — a mandate that leaves no room for 10-year payback cycles. As detailed in this episode, the city currently operates only 500 public chargers, while London — a comparable metropolis — has deployed around 10,000, exposing a critical infrastructure gap.
"We like to say that we're the disco and sunshine of EV charging, and we're trying to make things just better and not shitty."
Tia Gordon — Co-founder, It's Electric. Gordon's background includes technology work on the 9-11 Memorial and Museum of the World Trade Center, where she managed approximately 200 layers of embedded technology. She founded It's Electric during the pandemic with a cardboard and rubber prototype, which won $300,000 in non-dilutive funding from Hyundai's Open EV Innovation Challenge. The company has raised $7 million in total non-dilutive funding and a $6.5 million seed round co-led by Uber and fail-up.
The $70,000 lifetime value per charger compounds this advantage. Over a typical 5-15 year city exclusivity contract (as discussed in the podcast), a single unit can generate multiples of its initial cost. For investors, this metric matters because it signals both unit economics durability and path to profitability without requiring massive volumes immediately.
The company has deployed 54 chargers across six cities in just 10 months, a pace that would be impossible if each installation required the capital expenditure and timeline of utility-integrated infrastructure. This rapid iteration also allows Gordon's team to refine operations before pursuing the Series A funding they target at $14 million in revenue, with current runway estimated at 12 to 14 months.
See also
What are the key barriers preventing competing companies from replicating this charging infrastructure?
It's Electric faces significant competitive barriers including exclusivity contracts ranging from 5 to 15 years granted by cities, UL certification requirements that take 2 to 3 years, and the high cost of utility-powered charger installation reaching $180,000 per charger in New York City.
How does It's Electric differentiate its pricing model from competitors in the EV charging market?
It's Electric charges an upcharge on the base kilowatt-hour rate determined through driver surveys. In San Francisco, the base energy rate is 23 cents per kilowatt hour, while It's Electric charges 41 cents per kilowatt hour, generating approximately $1,000 in monthly revenue per charger.
What is the competitive advantage of detachable cable EV chargers in public spaces?
It's Electric is the only detachable cable solution in North America, eliminating cables from the curb when vehicles are not charging, reducing theft and damage while improving the safety and aesthetics of public streets.
Key takeaways
- It's Electric chargers break even in 18 months at 40% utilization, versus 10 years for traditional utility-powered installations.
- At $10,300 all-in cost after subsidies, each unit generates approximately $70,000 in lifetime value over a typical 5-15 year city contract.
- Monthly revenue per charger in San Francisco averages $1,000, driven by a 41-cent-per-kilowatt pricing premium over the 23-cent base energy rate.
- The faster payback cycle enables reinvestment into additional chargers, accelerating deployment in cities that must meet 2030 EV mandates.