RVE

Modified on Thu, 26 Feb at 3:33 PM

RVE EV Charging Integration & Automated Special Charges

We are pleased to introduce the RVE Integration, a new functionality that automates the management and billing of EV charging consumption for condominium buildings.

This feature connects UpperBee with RVE via API, retrieves electricity usage data, and allows property managers to generate Special Charges based on actual consumption — quickly, accurately, and transparently.

Overview

Current Challenge

Until now, property managers had to:

Receive monthly electricity consumption reports from RVE.
Pay the total electricity bill to Hydro-Québec without clear visibility of individual usage.
Manually match charging stations to parking spaces and condo owners.
Create manual Special Charge invoices for reimbursement.

This process was time-consuming, manual, and prone to error.

What’s New

The system now integrates directly with RVE via API to:

Automatically retrieve EV charging units and their consumption data.
Map RVE charging units to UpperBee parking spaces.
Link parking spaces to the appropriate condo owners.
Automatically calculate reimbursement amounts.
Generate prefilled Special Charge invoices.

Key Benefits for Property Managers

1. Full Visibility of EV Consumption

Track exactly which owner used how much electricity.
Access detailed consumption data per charging unit.
Maintain accurate records for transparency and auditing.

2. Automated Billing Process

Eliminate manual matching between RVE reports and parking spaces.
Automatically calculate charges using the configured cost per kWh.
Prefill Special Charge invoices with accurate consumption data.

3. Time Savings

Significantly reduce administrative workload.
Generate charges in just a few clicks.
Avoid repetitive manual invoice creation.

4. Increased Accuracy

Minimize human error in consumption calculations.
Ensure consistent rate application.
Automatically associate charges with the correct unit owner.

5. Improved Financial Transparency

Residents are billed strictly based on their own usage.
Each invoice is generated individually.
Residents cannot view other residents’ usage or billing information.

Feature Details

1. RVE Integration Setup

API Key Configuration

Property Managers can:

Enter and save an RVE API key.
Validate credentials instantly.

If the key is:

Invalid → A warning message is displayed (e.g., “Invalid credentials. Please check your key.”)
Expired or revoked → The system alerts the user to re-authenticate.

Re-authentication may be required if:

The API key expires or is rotated.
The integration is manually disconnected.
The token is revoked.
RVE enforces new permission scopes.

If the Property Manager clicks “Check for Update” and the key is invalid, an error prompt appears with instructions to enter a new key.

2. Parking Space Mapping

Once the API key is validated:

The system retrieves parking space and charging unit data from RVE.
The Property Manager maps each RVE charging unit to an UpperBee parking space.
Each parking space is linked to a specific condo unit owner.
A global cost per kWh can be configured (one price applied to all units).

Data retrieved from RVE includes:

Charging Unit Name / ID
Building Name
Consumption data

The interface allows:

Searching users by name or unit number.
Manual mapping and reassignment when necessary.
Manual update checks for new charging units.

3. Charge RVE – Automated Billing Workflow

A new action button, “Charge RVE,” is available.

Step 1 – System Sync

When launched:

The system checks for newly added charging units since the last sync.
If new units are detected:
- The Property Manager is notified.
- They are redirected to the RVE Settings page to complete the configuration.
If no new units are found:
- A popup allows optional date range selection.
- The system retrieves usage data from RVE for the selected period.

Note: The date range is optional to accommodate one-time fees (such as setup charges), which are handled separately from usage fees.

Step 2 – Data Display

The system displays:

Resident Name
Parking Unit Number
Building Information
Consumption data
Billing status (if already billed for the selected date range)

Step 3 – Proceed to Special Charges

Selecting “Proceed” opens the Special Charges page with data prefilled based on the retrieved information.

Special Charges – Single User Billing (MVP)

For the initial release, Special Charges are generated one user at a time.

Default Prefilled Fields

Date: Automatically set to the current date
Invoice Number: Automatically generated
Identifier: “RVE Charges”
Description: Prefilled with RVE ID, charging unit name, usage amount, and date range
Quantity: Set to 1 by default
Price: Automatically calculated (kWh × configured price per kWh)
Total Price: Automatically calculated
Billed Account: Automatically loads the unit account associated with the selected user

All fields in the Special Charges form remain fully editable before saving or issuing the invoice.

Error Handling & Reliability

API Errors

If errors occur during the RVE API call, they are displayed in a prompt window.
A direct link allows the user to navigate to the RVE Mapping section to resolve the issue.

Unlinked Account

If the RVE account has never been linked:

The system prompts the Property Manager to enter their RVE credentials.
A direct link redirects them to the RVE Mapping setup page.

Business Impact

This integration transforms EV charging reimbursement from a manual administrative burden into a streamlined, automated workflow.

Property managers benefit from:

Reduced operational overhead
Faster billing cycles
Improved financial accuracy
Transparent and fair cost distribution
Increased owner satisfaction

By automating EV consumption tracking and billing, UpperBee enables buildings to confidently manage growing EV infrastructure without increasing administrative complexity.