Module 4 — Site acquisition and feasibility

Section 1 · Pre-work (60 minutes)

Required reading

• Operations Manual §4 (Territory and Pipeline — all subsections). 15 minutes.
• Operations Manual §5.1–§5.2 (Ideal Host Profile + Outreach). 15 minutes.
• Operations Manual §6 (Evaluation, Feasibility, Authorization). 20 minutes.
• The trainee’s own Franchise Agreement Attachment A (Search Area; Projected Opening Date) and, if applicable, Multi-Unit Development Agreement Attachment B (Development Schedule). 10 minutes.

Pre-session knowledge check

Submitted via Partner Portal at least 24 hours before the session.

1. The franchisee’s Search Area exists for what purpose, and when does it end?
2. What is the minimum number of usable parking spaces a site must have before it can be advanced to Evaluation (Stage 5), and what does “usable” mean?
3. A franchisee’s strong prospect falls inside another franchisee’s Search Area. What is the correct sequence of franchisee actions?
4. Within how many days of Franchise Agreement signing must the franchisee obtain Site Authorization for their first HiON EV Facility?
5. The franchisee may make financial performance representations to a Site Host in which circumstances?

Bring to session

• The trainee’s executed Franchise Agreement (Attachment A in particular)
• If applicable, the trainee’s executed Multi-Unit Development Agreement (Attachments A, B, D)
• The trainee’s current pipeline tracker output from the Partner Portal (export or screenshot)
• The trainee’s Designated Business Manager
• For Multi-Unit Developers: the Designated General Manager and the latest Monthly Territory Development Report

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Section 2 · Learning objectives

By the end of this module, the trainee can:

1. Distinguish Search Area from Development Territory, apply the no-protection rule once operational, and never represent or imply exclusivity, buffer, or radius rights to any third party.
2. Capture and progress leads through the 7-stage pipeline (§4.3.3) within the §4.3.2 [MANDATORY] timing standards — 5-Business-Day capture from first contact, 2-week minimum update cadence, 30-day stale-lead trigger.
3. Qualify any prospective site against the 9 minimum site requirements (§5.1.2) and disqualify decisively. A site that misses any minimum is disqualified — not “we’ll work around it.”
4. Conduct an operator-grade site walk (§5.2.2) — perimeter, parking-count math, utility-entrance and transformer identification, accessibility-path observation, after-hours access verification — and produce the documentation record required by §4.3.2 + §6.1.2.
5. Execute the three-phase evaluation workflow — Desktop Pre-Check, On-Site Audit, Electrical and Utility Assessment — using the Worksheets from the Appendices and uploading required documentation to the Partner Portal within the 5-Business-Day post-audit window.
6. Apply the §6.2.3 [MANDATORY] financial-performance-representation discipline — make no FPRs to Site Hosts, lenders, investors, or lease negotiators outside Item 19 of the FDD or the records of a specific existing HiON EV Facility the franchisee owns or is evaluating to purchase.
7. Assemble a complete Site Authorization Submittal (§6.3.1) with all eight required components and submit early enough in the pipeline to avoid late-stage disapproval.
8. Plan the site-selection schedule backwards from the §6.4 deadlines — 180 days to authorization, 60 days post-authorization to lease execution, 30 days pre-Projected Opening Date for permits — so the franchisee does not request post-deadline extensions.

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Section 3 · Why this matters

Site acquisition is the highest-leverage phase of the franchise. A well-chosen site, on a well-structured lease, with a properly-prepared Site Host, operates profitably for a decade. A poorly-chosen site is the cost of acquisition plus the cost of every operating decision the franchisee makes for the rest of the franchise term to compensate for the original error.

The Manual’s framing in §6.1.3 is direct: “The electrical and utility assessment is the step at which the feasibility of a site truly succeeds or fails.” The transformer backlog, the conduit run, the easement, the AHJ permit-review queue — these are not workarounds. They are the deal. A site that requires a 9-month transformer wait is a site whose lease and Site Authorization Submittal have to account for the 9-month wait. A site whose Site Host cannot commit to 24/7/365 access is a site that cannot be authorized regardless of how good every other factor looks.

The §6.4 deadlines are not aspirational. The Manual states: “You must plan backwards from each milestone. Leave sufficient time for utility coordination, permit review, and construction. The absence of slack in your schedule is not grounds for extension after the fact.” The 180-day Site Authorization clock starts the day the FA is signed. The 60-day post-authorization lease-execution clock starts the day HiON issues the authorization. The 12-month outer permit-receipt boundary and 18-month outer lease-to-opening boundary are not negotiable. A franchisee who is still in the Discovery stage at day 90 has likely lost the window.

The discipline is also legal. Item 19 of the FDD is the most heavily-regulated topic in franchising — financial performance representations made to Site Hosts, lenders, investors, or anyone else outside the express scope of Item 19 (or outside the actual records of a specific existing HiON EV Facility the franchisee owns or is evaluating to purchase) violate the FTC Franchise Rule and are a material breach (§6.2.3 [MANDATORY]). The Voice Playbook’s discipline of “Authority through arithmetic” includes the careful hedge: “Federal tax law currently permits accelerated depreciation on qualifying charging equipment. Eligibility, applicable percentages, and timing depend on…” (Playbook §03 Principle 04). That is the operator-fluent posture at evaluation — confident on the system, disciplined on the claims.

Acknowledged Elephant: the franchisee will encounter Site Hosts who push for the deal terms that make HiON’s system harder to operate — a gate-closed parking lot, an exclusivity clause, a co-branded cabinet, a sub-three-stall layout. The franchisee’s job is to recognize each of these as a structural disqualifier (not a negotiable concession) and to disqualify decisively. The Manual is unambiguous: sites that miss the §5.1.2 minimums must be disqualified. The franchisee who tries to “make it work” creates a Section 6.3.2 “Declined” authorization decision after months of wasted pipeline effort.

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Section 4 · Core content

4.1 — Territory and the no-protection rule (§4.1)

Two territorial concepts (§4.1.1):

Concept	Who	What	When it ends
Search Area	Every Franchisee during site selection	Temporary, designated geographic area within which the franchisee searches for a site for the HiON EV Facility. Identified in FA Attachment A.	When HiON authorizes a site for the HiON EV Facility, or when the site-selection deadline under the FA expires, whichever occurs first
Development Territory	Multi-Unit Developers only	Geographic area within which the developer is obligated to develop the number of HiON EV Franchises set forth in MUDA Attachment A, on the Development Schedule in MUDA Attachment B	Earlier of (a) Development Term expiration, or (b) Development Schedule completion; on expiration/termination of the MUDA, the Development Territory ceases to exist

The no-protection rule (§4.1.2) — verbatim from the callout box:

“Once your HiON EV Facility is operational, you do not have any territorial protection, exclusivity, radius, buffer, or geographic right of any kind for that HiON EV Facility. We, our affiliates, and other Franchisees may develop and operate HiON EV Facilities anywhere, including in proximity to yours, subject only to any Development Territory exclusivity you hold under a Multi-Unit Development Agreement during its Development Term. The no-protection rule is set forth in Section 4.1 of your Franchise Agreement and is not modified by this Manual.”

Three [MANDATORY] standards in §4.1.2:

1. No representation or implication to any Site Host, prospective Site Host, lender, investor, MUDA partner, or third party of any exclusivity, protected territory, buffer, radius, no-compete geographic right, or similar right once the HiON EV Facility is operational
2. No written or oral commitment to a Site Host granting or implying a radius or exclusivity right beyond what is expressly permitted in the Lease Addendum or a separately approved writing
3. Where the franchisee holds a Development Territory under a MUDA, no development, opening, or acquisition of any HiON EV Facility outside the Development Territory without HiON prior written approval — and observance of HiON’s reservations of rights under the MUDA

Search Area in practice (§4.1.3): the Search Area is a working constraint on where the franchisee looks for a site. It is not a marketing territory, a brand territory, or a customer-acquisition territory. The Search Area exists so HiON can coordinate site-selection activity, so the franchisee focuses effort geographically, and so HiON can evaluate diligence within the FA timeframe.

Search Area discipline — two [MANDATORY] standards plus one [RECOMMENDED]:

• [MANDATORY] Conduct all Site Host prospecting, site evaluation, and lease negotiation within the Search Area unless HiON authorizes otherwise in writing
• [MANDATORY] If no suitable site is available within the Search Area, request in writing that HiON expand, modify, or relocate the Search Area. Do not unilaterally search outside.
• [RECOMMENDED] If a strong prospect falls inside another Franchisee’s Search Area or another MUDA partner’s Development Territory, raise it with HiON before making any contact with the prospective Site Host. HiON will coordinate.

4.2 — Multi-Unit Developer Development Schedule (§4.2)

This Section applies only to franchisees holding a Multi-Unit Development Agreement. Single-unit franchisees can skim it but the cross-territory escalation rules in §4.3.4 apply universally.

Six [MANDATORY] standards for Multi-Unit Developers (§4.2):

1. Meet each Development Schedule milestone by the date on MUDA Attachment B. Missing a milestone is a material default under the MUDA and may also be a default under any affected Franchise Agreement.
2. Before searching for the second or any subsequent HiON EV Facility, execute the then-current form of Franchise Agreement for that HiON EV Franchise and pay all fees due
3. Submit each proposed site for authorization per MUDA §1.2 and Manual §6 with all required information
4. Maintain at all times at least the minimum equity interest required by the MUDA in each HiON EV Franchise; ensure the Designated General Manager (or approved successor) devotes full time and attention
5. Update MUDA Attachment D (equity ownership) within 10 Business Days of any change
6. Comply with the Monthly Reports obligation under the MUDA covering site-acquisition progress, construction status, opening status, and any material pipeline change

[APPROVAL REQUIRED] Development extensions (§4.2.1): submit at least 60 days before the affected deadline. Describe cause, recovery action, new proposed date. Development Extension Fee per the FDD applies. Where AHJ-driven, attach the AHJ correspondence and written position.

[APPROVAL REQUIRED] Transfers of Development Rights (§4.2.2): any transfer of MUDA rights, any transfer of ownership interests in the Multi-Unit Developer entity, and any proposed change in the Designated General Manager requires HiON prior written approval. Triggers the Development Transfer Fee per the FDD.

4.3 — Lead handling, pipeline stages, and reporting cadence (§4.3–§4.4)

Five sources of Site Host leads (§4.3.1):

• Outbound prospecting — direct franchisee outreach to properties matching the Ideal Host Profile
• Inbound inquiries — prospective Site Hosts reaching out to HiON or directly to the franchisee
• Referrals — existing Site Hosts, property managers, real estate brokers, utility contacts, other Franchisees
• HiON-assigned leads — leads HiON routes to the franchisee, typically because the property is in the franchisee’s Search Area or Development Territory
• Broker and partner channels — only approved third-party channels (§14 vendor governance)

Capture every lead regardless of source.

Minimum lead data (§4.3.2) — 11 fields:

Field	What’s expected
Site name / working identifier	Short label; consistent naming
Physical address	Street, city, state, county, ZIP (or lat/long if no formal address)
Host entity name and type	Retail / entertainment / hospitality / healthcare / auto dealer / parking / municipal / other
Decision-maker	Name, title, company, email, phone, relationship to property — both operational decision-maker AND property-owner contact if different
Parking posture	Usable space count, general pattern, evident constraints
Electrical posture	Visible service signs (transformer proximity, service-entrance location). Do not speculate about capacity — that’s §6.1.3
Visibility and traffic	Road frontage, pedestrian traffic, signage visibility observations
Timeline and motivation	Why interested now; any deadline, lease event, capital project
Source	How the lead originated
Photos	At least three exterior — site entrance, proposed charging bay area, wide context shot
Status	§4.3.3 stage
Next action and date	Single next action and when

Three [MANDATORY] lead-capture standards (§4.3.2):

1. Capture the minimum lead data in the Partner Portal pipeline tracker (or designated CRM) within 5 Business Days of first contact
2. Update status and next-action date for every open lead at least every 2 weeks. Stale leads (no update for 30 days or more) flagged to the FBC.
3. No lead entered under a business name materially different from the actual host entity; no double-entry to create the appearance of pipeline depth

The 7-stage pipeline (§4.3.3):

Stage	Definition	Exit criteria
1 — Identified	Prospective Site Host identified; minimum lead data captured. No direct contact yet.	Documented outreach made
2 — Outreach	Decision-maker contacted. No meeting scheduled.	Meeting scheduled or declined
3 — Discovery	Met with the decision-maker; presented HiON opportunity; basic mutual interest.	Site walk scheduled
4 — Site Walk	Walked the property with the decision-maker; completed initial observation.	Go / No-Go decision
5 — Evaluation	Site passes initial observation. Desktop pre-check, utility inquiry, parking layout review (§6).	Evaluation complete; site feasibility decision
6 — Negotiation	Feasible site. Term sheet drafting or direct lease negotiation using approved templates and Lease Addendum (M05).	Signed lease or site license incorporating the Lease Addendum
7 — Authorized	Lease signed; site authorized by HiON.	Handoff to Construction (§7; M06–M07)
Disqualified / Lost	Lead will not progress. Capture reason.	n/a

Cross-territory opportunities (§4.3.4) — four-step discipline:

1. Do not contact the Site Host further.
2. Submit a Cross-Territory Opportunity Escalation through the Partner Portal — minimum lead data, reason for awareness, any existing relationship
3. HiON evaluates, routes to the appropriate Franchisee/MUDA partner, and advises whether and on what terms the originating franchisee may participate
4. No solicitation, pitch, or close outside the Search Area or Development Territory without HiON prior written authorization

Five required reports (§4.4) — cadence summary:

Report	Who	Cadence	Due
Monthly Territory Development Report	Multi-Unit Developers always; single-unit Franchisees pre-opening	Monthly	10th calendar day of following month, via Partner Portal
Weekly Pipeline Refresh	Every Franchisee with one or more unopened sites	Weekly	EOD Friday of each week, between FA execution and HiON EV Facility opening
Site Authorization Submittal	Franchisee requesting authorization	Per site	As early as possible in Stage 5 or 6
Cross-Territory Opportunity Escalation	Franchisee/MUDA partner who becomes aware of a lead outside their territory	Per event	Within 2 Business Days of becoming aware
Go-Live Notification	Franchisee of a newly commissioned site	Per opening	Within 1 Business Day of commissioning sign-off (§7)

Three [MANDATORY] reporting standards (§4.4): use current Partner Portal templates (superseded templates rejected); content must be accurate (deliberate or repeated misstatement is a material breach); preserve supporting documentation per FA retention period.

4.4 — The Ideal Host Profile and the 9 minimum site requirements (§5.1)

Eight Ideal Host Profile categories (§5.1.1) — the System’s sweet spot:

Category	Why it fits	Typical dwell
Retail centers and big-box	High, steady driver volume; visible parking; 30–60 min dwell matches ultra-fast session length	Grocery, home improvement, department store, warehouse club, mixed retail
Entertainment venues	Evening/weekend peaks complement weekday retail; longer dwell allows repeat sessions	Movie theaters, performance venues, sports facilities, bowling, arcades
Hospitality	Overnight and multi-hour dwell; HiON site can be a booking differentiator	Hotels, resorts, boutique inns, extended-stay
Sit-down restaurants	45–90 min dwell well-matched to fast charging; visible frontage common	Full-service restaurants; select fast-casual with sit-down patronage
Healthcare and professional services	Predictable appointment-driven dwell; daytime demand; visible parking typical	Hospitals, outpatient centers, medical office parks, large dental/veterinary campuses
Auto dealers (non-competing brands)	EV-adjacent audience; dealer infrastructure often accommodates higher-power service	Dealerships other than those whose franchise relationships restrict third-party charging
Parking operators and transportation hubs	Dense demand, managed operations, easier access and lighting standards	Paid parking, airport long-term lots, transit adjacencies
Municipalities and public-sector	Long-term stability, positive PR value, alignment with local EV plans	Civic centers, parks-and-recreation facilities, municipal parking, libraries

The 9 minimum site requirements (§5.1.2) — every one [MANDATORY]; advancement past Stage 4 (Site Walk) requires meeting all:

1. Minimum 3 usable parking spaces in a configuration that permits the standard HiON charging-bay layout from the Site Design Manual. “Usable” means accommodates the charging bay, cabinet pad, required clearances, and an accessible route without reconfiguring unaffected host parking operations.
2. 24/7/365 driver and service-provider access per §2.1.4. A site that cannot guarantee 24/7/365 access must be disqualified.
3. Practical path for electric-utility service — the site is served by, or can reasonably be served by, a utility that can supply and commit the power Tesla Supercharger equipment requires. Speculative, pre-planning, or hypothetical power availability does not satisfy this.
4. Legal right of the Site Host to grant a lease or license incorporating the Lease Addendum and Collateral Assignment of Lease (§5.5; M05). Sites subject to third-party restrictive covenants, reciprocal easements, or ground-lease prohibitions that cannot be waived must be disqualified.
5. Visibility and wayfinding sufficient to allow a driver to locate the site from the Tesla application and to navigate from the property entrance to the charging bay. Sites behind buildings, down long private drives, or in areas without reasonable signage rights are disfavored and require exception approval.
6. Lighting suitable for a public site operating at night, existing or reasonably installable per §7.
7. Pavement suitable for cabinet pad, vehicle loading, and accessibility — or a realistic plan to bring pavement to that standard as part of the build.
8. Safe, non-hostile surroundings at any hour — active adjacent uses or clear sightlines; no proximate high-crime or illicit-activity concentrations; no proximity to unpermitted hazardous operations.
9. Available legal approval path — zoning, land use, signage, and utility approvals reasonably attainable within the timeline required by the FA or MUDA.

[APPROVAL REQUIRED] advancement of any site that does not meet every minimum above requires HiON prior written approval under §1.2.6, even if the franchisee believes the deficiency can be cured during build. The Manual’s posture is unambiguous: missing minimums are disqualifiers, not negotiation items.

4.5 — Site Host outreach and the site walk (§5.2)

Four [MANDATORY] outreach standards (§5.2.1):

1. Use only the Site Host pitch materials and messaging available in the Partner Portal. Tailor presentations for the specific Site Host’s business; do not alter the HiON value proposition, the funding structure, the service scope, or any statement about Tesla.
2. The HiON pitch to Site Hosts: “we install, operate, and maintain the chargers at zero cost to the host.” Do not overstate, modify, or dilute that promise. No statements that could be read as committing HiON to revenue guarantees, exclusivity, cost underwriting, host-side maintenance, or any scope outside the approved materials.
3. Disclose at the discovery stage that the franchisee is an independent Franchisee of HiON Franchise Group, LLC — not an employee or agent of HiON Franchise Group, LLC or Tesla, Inc. — and that HiON Franchise Group, LLC is the franchisor of the System.
4. No representation that any specific financial performance, driver-volume level, session count, revenue share, or utilization rate will be achieved at the prospective site.

[RECOMMENDED] lead with a consultative site walk rather than a hard pitch. Ask the decision-maker about parking strategy, customer dwell patterns, EV requests received. Tailor the HiON fit narrative to what’s learned.

The Site Walk (§5.2.2) — required discovery step before a site can advance to Evaluation (Stage 5). Working meeting, not social visit. 9-step checklist:

1. Arrive at a time representative of business hours at the property (do not evaluate a restaurant site at 3 am)
2. Walk the full perimeter of the proposed charging-bay area with the decision-maker. Confirm parking-count math on the ground.
3. Identify utility service entrance location(s) and the nearest transformer, if visible. Photograph.
4. Identify existing signage, light poles, landscape features, and underground utility indicators (utility-locate paint, vault covers, pull boxes)
5. Observe accessibility path from accessible parking (if any) to the main entrance; consider charging-bay integration
6. Observe lighting conditions. If the walk is during the day, plan a follow-up night visit before finalizing the site.
7. Observe adjacent uses, traffic pattern, evident nuisance (noise, odor, existing congestion)
8. Note gated access, hours of operation, security, and any after-hours access constraint. If the parking lot gates close at night and the Site Host cannot commit to an after-hours access solution, the site does not meet §5.1.2 minimums.
9. Close with a defined next step and timeframe; update pipeline status to Stage 5 or Disqualified

4.6 — Site evaluation: the three-phase workflow (§6.1)

A standardized configuration framing (§6.1 callout box) — important upstream of every evaluation:

“HiON EV Facilities are always built with Tesla-manufactured Supercharger equipment integrated into the Tesla Supercharger network, with NACS connectors, and with payments flowing through the Tesla mobile application. There is no decision to make between Level 2 and DC fast charging, between different EVSE vendors, between different network/CSMS platforms, or between different connector standards. The configuration is standardized. Your evaluation work is about confirming that the site can support the standard configuration, not selecting the configuration.”

The baseline configuration is in the HiON Site Design Manual on the Partner Portal. Sites that cannot accommodate the baseline — or a designated variant HiON authorizes — are not feasible.

Phase 1 — Desktop pre-check (§6.1.1)

What to verify before scheduling the on-site audit:

• Zoning: permitted use includes EV charging, accessory parking, or — in less-permissive jurisdictions — conditional-use authorization is reasonably available
• Ownership and restrictive encumbrances: title search confirms Site Host authority; reciprocal easement agreements, CC&Rs, or ground-lease restrictions affecting parking or improvements reviewed
• Flood, wetland, environmental overlays: charging-bay footprint not in FEMA high-risk zone, wetland, or other prohibitive overlay
• Utility service area and known capacity constraints: serving electric utility’s publicly known capacity posture in the area
• Prior EV activity at the property: existing EV charging equipment, planned upgrades, competing presences
• HiON system-wide proximity: other HiON EV Facilities within a reasonable radius and whether their existence changes the case for this site
• Accessibility baseline: existing parking layout suggests a compliant accessible route can be maintained after adding the charging bay

[MANDATORY] Complete the Desktop Pre-Check Worksheet (Appendices) before scheduling the on-site audit. A site that fails a desktop disqualifier must not proceed without an exception under §1.2.6.

Phase 2 — On-site audit (§6.1.2)

Structured visit, typically 2–4 hours on site plus preparation and debrief. HiON’s Engineering and Design Review team may participate remotely or in person.

Required measurements and observations:

• Parking-bay dimensions, length, depth at proposed charging-bay location
• Slope and cross-slope at the charging-bay location
• Distance and line-of-sight from proposed cabinet pad to nearest transformer, service entrance, utility vault
• Identification of underground utilities visible to the eye (paint, flags, vaults, pull boxes) and any evident conflicts
• Lighting-pole locations, fixture types, photometric assessment at dusk or after dark
• Sign-placement analysis: where the primary-identification sign, wayfinding, and Brand Asset Library elements can be located consistently with §2.4 (M03)
• Accessibility path from accessible parking to main entrance and from the charging bay — required clear widths, running and cross slopes, curb-ramp condition
• Access/egress pattern for service vehicles (box trucks, crane if needed) and for charging-session queuing
• Environmental observations: noise, odor, dust, wildlife, stormwater flow, snow-drift tendencies
• Security observations: sightlines to charging bay, existing cameras, adjacent activity at different hours

Required photos — 9 categories:

1. Wide exterior view from primary approach
2. Proposed charging bay area from each of 4 directions
3. Cabinet-pad candidate location from ground level and standing-back angle
4. Nearest transformer, service entrance, visible utility infrastructure
5. Existing signage on property and approach
6. Existing light poles and fixtures near the charging bay
7. Accessible parking, accessible route to main entrance, intersection with charging bay
8. Any deficiency, hazard, or area of concern noted during the audit
9. Night-time photo sequence showing lighting as experienced by an arriving driver (separate visit if day audit)

[MANDATORY] Complete the On-Site Audit Worksheet (Appendices) on the day of the audit. Upload it, all photos, and measurements to the Partner Portal within 5 Business Days.

Phase 3 — Electrical and utility assessment (§6.1.3)

The Manual’s framing: “The electrical and utility assessment is the step at which the feasibility of a site truly succeeds or fails.”

Required franchisee actions:

1. Initiate a service-availability inquiry with the serving electric utility for the specific address, identifying the intended load (per HiON’s specification) and requested energization timeframe
2. Request the utility’s written response regarding: (a) available capacity at the nearest distribution point; (b) required service upgrades, if any; (c) estimated utility cost and timeline; (d) metering configuration
3. Provide the utility response and any utility-issued correspondence to HiON through the Partner Portal
4. Engage a licensed electrical engineer (as HiON directs) to prepare the preliminary single-line diagram and any initial load calculations required by the utility for a service-availability letter

What the assessment must confirm:

• Utility can supply and commit the required power within a reasonable timeline and within reasonable cost
• Interconnection and metering configuration will accept the HiON EV Facility cabinet as specified
• Ground-level routing from service entrance to cabinet pad is feasible without prohibitive undergrounding or major civil work — or such work is within construction budget
• Telecommunications (cellular or wired) available to support network connectivity for the EV Charging Equipment

[APPROVAL REQUIRED] Sites requiring a utility service upgrade above the threshold in the Site Design Manual require HiON prior written approval before continuing to pursue the site — upgrade cost and timeline materially affect feasibility and Development Schedule.

[LOCAL-LAW DEPENDENT] Some jurisdictions or utilities require additional studies, fees, or contributions in aid of construction. Capture in the utility response and feasibility inputs.

4.7 — Financial feasibility inputs (§6.2)

The Manual does not prescribe utilization, revenue, or return assumptions — those are business decisions for the franchisee. §6.2 standardizes the categories so feasibility decisions are consistent and auditable.

13 cost categories to capture at feasibility (§6.2.1) — pre-opening:

Category	Scope
Initial Franchise Fee	FA execution; FDD Item 5
EV Charging Equipment	Tesla-manufactured Supercharger cabinet, posts, connectors, hardware supplied through designated distribution; FDD Item 7
Construction and installation	Civil, electrical, structural, incidental — cabinet pad, conduit, trenching, panel work, commissioning support
Utility service and interconnection	Deposits, cost-of-service, transformer, service extension, metering, interconnection fees
Permits, licenses, AHJ fees	Building, electrical, grading, signage, conditional-use permit costs
Signage and striping	HiON signage, wayfinding, pavement marking per §2.4 and Site Design Manual
Site improvements attributable to the Facility	Lighting upgrades, security hardware, bollards, landscaping, paving repairs to meet §7 + §9 standards
Rent, deposits, Lease Addendum costs	First payment, deposit, prorated rent
Insurance (pre-opening)	Pre-opening coverages per §13 + FA §13
Professional fees	Legal, accounting, engineering, third-party advisor fees
Training and pre-opening labor	Travel/lodging for Franchisee Training Program; pre-opening salaries; FDD Item 7
Start-up advertising and ribbon-cutting	Launch budget per FA §12 and Manual §11
Additional funds (working capital)	Per FDD Item 7 guidance and franchisee’s working-capital analysis
Contingency	Reserve for unknowns; engineer’s recommendation, typically stated percentage of hard construction cost

12 recurring operating expense categories (§6.2.2):

Category	Scope
Royalty, marketing, technology, recurring franchise fees	FA Section 5
MSA charges	Services Price and other MSA charges
Rent or lease payments	Per lease or site license
Electric utility	Metered service to the Facility
Telecommunications	Cellular/wired connectivity for EV Charging Equipment
Insurance	Ongoing §13 + FA §13 coverages
Sinking Fund	Per FA + §12 of this Manual
Site-area maintenance	Snow, ice, debris, landscaping, lighting, striping, minor pavement repairs per §9
Labor and DBM compensation	Franchisee-employed team per §8
Professional fees (ongoing)	Legal, accounting, tax, advisory
Property and business taxes	Entity-, equipment-, gross-receipts-, excise-
Licenses and permits (renewals)	Business licenses, signage permit renewals, periodic AHJ fees

Revenue inputs (§6.2.3) — and the [MANDATORY] FPR discipline: Revenue is driven by session volume, energy delivered, and pricing in the Tesla application. The franchisee does not control driver price; pricing is set through the HiON System and Tesla network integration. Revenue modeling uses HiON’s Partner Portal guidance and is subject to FDD Item 19 rules.

[MANDATORY] §6.2.3 — verbatim:

“You must not make financial performance representations to any third party, including to Site Hosts, lenders, investors, or lease negotiators, except as expressly permitted by Item 19 of the Franchise Disclosure Document or by the actual records of a specific existing HiON EV Facility you own or are evaluating to purchase. Representations outside this scope violate the FTC Franchise Rule and are a material breach.”

Completing feasibility (§6.2.4):

• [MANDATORY] Before submitting for authorization, complete a written feasibility document tying together Desktop Pre-Check + On-Site Audit + Electrical/Utility Assessment + cost categories + recurring opex categories + business judgment. Use the feasibility template (Appendices).
• [RECOMMENDED] Review with FBC before submitting. Far cheaper to resolve evaluation gaps before submittal than to cycle through HiON disapproval.

4.8 — Site Authorization Submittal and review (§6.3)

The Authorization gate (§6.3 Purpose): “You may not lease, purchase, or begin construction at a site that has not been authorized in writing by us.”

Eight components of a complete Site Authorization Submittal (§6.3.1):

1. Desktop Pre-Check Worksheet, completed and signed
2. On-Site Audit Worksheet, with all required measurements and photos
3. Electrical and Utility Assessment package: utility response letter(s), preliminary single-line diagram, load calculation, electrical engineer’s preliminary opinion of interconnection feasibility
4. Preliminary site plan: building orientation, proposed cabinet and charging-post locations, parking layout, access and egress, accessible route, wayfinding, signage locations
5. Proposed lease or site license term sheet (or draft lease) with the Lease Addendum form incorporated
6. Feasibility document covering §6.2 cost and recurring expense categories
7. Franchisee’s recommendation (approve, approve-with-conditions, or decline) and the rationale
8. Any §1.2.6 exception requests submitted together with authorization

Four possible HiON outcomes (§6.3.2):

Outcome	Meaning	Next step
Authorized	HiON approves the site	Execute lease and Lease Addendum per §5.4.3 (if not already executed); proceed under §7 (M06+)
Authorized with Conditions	Approval subject to specified conditions (utility upgrade path, exception approval, revised layout)	Satisfy each condition; confirm with HiON in writing before proceeding under §7
Clarification Requested	Submittal incomplete or has identified gap	Provide clarification; review restarts
Declined	Site does not meet system standards or is otherwise not viable	Disqualify the lead in the pipeline; continue pursuing other sites within the Search Area

HiON response time: ordinarily 15 Business Days for a complete submittal. Incomplete submittals take longer. Sites triggering exception review under §1.2.6 follow the exception timeline (5-BD acknowledgment + 20-BD decision per §1.2.6).

Post-authorization discipline (§6.3.3) — two [MANDATORY] standards:

1. No material changes to an authorized site — charging-bay layout, cabinet location, parking-count allocation, accessibility path, signage location, lease structure — without HiON prior written approval
2. Notify HiON within 5 Business Days of any new information that materially affects feasibility (utility cost increase, discovered site condition, host-side change). HiON may revise, condition, or revoke authorization in response.

4.9 — Site-selection deadlines (§6.4) and planning backwards

Five hard milestones (§6.4):

Milestone	Deadline	Source
Obtain Site Authorization for first HiON EV Facility	180 days of FA signing (unless MUDA Development Schedule specifies otherwise)	FDD Item 11; FA
Execute lease or purchase site	60 days after HiON written Site Authorization	FDD Item 11
Obtain all permits, licenses, certifications	At least 30 days prior to Projected Opening Date; in no event later than 12 months after FA execution (subject to Development Schedule)	FDD Item 11
Open the HiON EV Franchise	On or before Projected Opening Date in FA Attachment A; in no event more than 18 months from lease execution (subject to Development Schedule)	FDD Item 11
Multi-Unit Developer milestones	Per MUDA Attachment B Development Schedule	MUDA

[MANDATORY] §6.4 — verbatim:

“You must plan backwards from each milestone. Leave sufficient time for utility coordination, permit review, and construction. The absence of slack in your schedule is not grounds for extension after the fact.”

[APPROVAL REQUIRED] §6.4: if a milestone will be missed despite good-faith effort, submit a written extension request no later than 30 days before the affected milestone under §4.2.1. Include cause, corrective action, requested new date. Late extension requests are disfavored. Development Extension Fee applies.

The pragmatic planning math, assuming common timelines:

• Day 0 — FA signing. Site Authorization due Day 180.
• Day 180 — Authorization. Lease execution due Day 240.
• Day 240 — Lease. Construction begins (M06–M07). Utility-driven schedules typically 9–18 months depending on transformer backlog.
• Day 240 + ~12 months — permit completion target (30 days before Projected Opening Date). Permits required no later than Day 365.
• Lease execution + ≤18 months — opening absolute outer boundary.

A franchisee at Stage 3 (Discovery) on Day 120 has 60 days to walk, evaluate, electrically assess, assemble the Submittal, and receive HiON’s 15-Business-Day review response. That sequence requires Discovery to convert to Site Walk within ~5 days, Site Walk to Evaluation within ~7 days, and Evaluation phases to overlap aggressively. A franchisee at Stage 3 on Day 120 is behind schedule. A franchisee at Stage 1 on Day 120 has likely lost the window — they need an FBC conversation about Search Area expansion or a candid Development Extension request.

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Section 5 · Decision drills

Drill 5.1 — The “almost meets the minimum” site

A high-traffic shopping center has approached the franchisee. The site has 2 usable parking spaces in a configuration the franchisee believes can be expanded to 3 by reconfiguring an adjacent Site Host loading zone — which the Site Host has indicated they “might” be willing to do. Everything else about the site is excellent.

State the response and the cited basis. State the next two actions.

Drill 5.2 — The cross-territory referral

A Site Host the franchisee met at an industry conference in Denver — outside the franchisee’s Topeka Search Area — has emailed asking whether the franchisee can pitch HiON at their downtown Denver property. The franchisee has not yet replied. They have an FBC touchpoint in two days.

State the franchisee’s response to the Site Host (or non-response) and the cited basis. State the four-step §4.3.4 sequence and what happens at the FBC touchpoint.

Drill 5.3 — The Site Host’s after-hours gate, revisited

During a Site Walk at an otherwise excellent retail-center site, the franchisee learns the property gates close at 11 pm and reopen at 5 am for security. The Site Host’s facilities director has offered: “For your service technicians we can arrange access with two hours’ notice — we just can’t leave the gates open for drivers.”

State the response and the cited basis. State the next two actions.

Drill 5.4 — The financial performance question

A Site Host’s general counsel emails: “Before we sign, we need to understand the revenue expectations. Can you provide a projected annual revenue range for our site based on your other locations or industry comparable data? We need at least a high-low range to underwrite the partnership internally.”

State the exact response language and the cited basis. State what the franchisee escalates to HiON, if anything.

Drill 5.5 — The 30-day stale lead

The franchisee’s pipeline tracker shows three leads in Stage 3 (Discovery) with no status update for 32 days. The DBM, swamped with M03 brand-execution issues at the Parker site, asks if updating them all to “still in progress” satisfies the cadence requirement.

State the response and the cited basis. State the corrective action.

Drill 5.6 — The day-only Site Walk

The franchisee schedules the Site Walk at a hospitality site for 11 am Wednesday. The Site Host’s general manager can only meet during business hours and has flagged that the hotel’s parking lot is “fairly active” in the evening but quiet during the day.

State whether 11 am Wednesday satisfies §5.2.2.1’s site-walk requirements. State what the franchisee must do regardless of the day-walk outcome.

Drill 5.7 — The Site Host wanting a 10-mile exclusivity ring

A Site Host with a strong location is willing to sign a 15-year lease with $0 in rent escalation for the first 10 years — in exchange for HiON committing in the lease that no other HiON EV Facility will be developed within 10 miles of the property for the duration of the lease.

State the response and the cited basis. State the next two actions.

Drill 5.8 — The 9-month transformer

The Electrical and Utility Assessment for the franchisee’s strongest pipeline site has returned. The utility has confirmed power can be supplied but requires a new transformer with a current backlog of 11 months. The franchisee is 95 days into the 180-day Site Authorization window with no other site at Stage 5 or later.

State the franchisee’s immediate next two actions and the cited basis. State whether this site can still meet the §6.4 deadlines and what the franchisee’s contingency is.

Drill 5.9 — The post-authorization change

HiON has authorized the franchisee’s Parker site. Three weeks after authorization, the franchisee’s electrical engineer recommends moving the cabinet pad 12 feet east to simplify the conduit run. The change does not affect parking count, accessibility path, signage, or lease structure.

State whether this change requires HiON written approval and the cited basis. State the next action.

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Section 6 · Common operator errors

6.1 — Advancing a site that misses a §5.1.2 minimum

The franchisee believes the deficiency can be cured during build (the 2-space lot will become 3 by reconfiguring a loading zone; the 11pm gate closure will be solved by the Site Host installing a remote access system).

• Consequence: §5.1.2 [MANDATORY] violation if advanced past Stage 4 without an [APPROVAL REQUIRED] exception. Wasted pipeline effort + HiON Decline at authorization + lost time.
• Discipline: the minimums are disqualifiers, not negotiation items. Disqualify decisively. Document the disqualification in the pipeline tracker — it strengthens the franchisee’s discipline pattern under audit.

6.2 — Contacting a cross-territory prospect without escalation

A referral comes in from outside the Search Area. The franchisee reasons that “since they reached out to me, they’re my lead.” The franchisee responds with a brief acknowledgment, then asks for a meeting.

• Consequence: §4.3.4 violation. The four-step escalation discipline is bypassed; an audit finding for unauthorized cross-territory contact under §4.3 Metrics (“zero unauthorized contacts outside the Search Area”).
• Discipline: four steps — do not contact further; submit Cross-Territory Opportunity Escalation; wait for HiON’s routing; participate only if HiON authorizes.

6.3 — Making any financial-performance representation outside Item 19

The Site Host asks “what should we expect this to do per year?” The franchisee, trying to close, shares an averaged figure from publicly available industry sources, or quotes “$X is what we’re seeing at our other locations” without verifying the figure is permitted under Item 19.

• Consequence: §6.2.3 [MANDATORY] violation + FTC Franchise Rule violation. Material breach. Possible regulatory and litigation exposure.
• Discipline: the only FPRs the franchisee may make are: (a) the disclosures in Item 19 of the FDD, verbatim; or (b) the actual records of a specific existing HiON EV Facility the franchisee owns or is evaluating to purchase. Anything else — refer the Site Host to the FDD or escalate to HiON.

6.4 — Day-only Site Walks with no night follow-up

The franchisee completes a Site Walk during business hours, declares the site favorable, and advances to Evaluation without a night observation. The lighting turns out to be inadequate, requiring a §7-driven build addition that was not in the feasibility document.

• Consequence: §5.2.2.6 violation. Feasibility miss; potential authorization delay or revocation under §6.3.3 (5-BD notification of material new information).
• Discipline: schedule a night follow-up before finalizing the site. The §5.2.2 checklist is sequential; step 6 is not optional.

6.5 — Stale leads cleared with cosmetic updates

The franchisee batch-updates a list of stale leads with “still in progress” or “awaiting next step” to pass the 30-day cadence trigger.

• Consequence: §4.3.2 violation (no double-entry / no misleading status). Cosmetic updates create the appearance of pipeline depth without substance — audit finding when the FBC reviews next-action dates that have not actually moved.
• Discipline: if a lead has not moved in 30 days, either it should be disqualified, escalated to FBC, or the franchisee should commit to a concrete next action with a date. The pipeline tracker is an honest instrument.

6.6 — Late extension requests

The franchisee realizes 10 days before a §6.4 milestone deadline that they will miss it. They submit the extension request as soon as they realize.

• Consequence: §6.4 [APPROVAL REQUIRED] standard requires submission no later than 30 days before the affected milestone. Late requests are disfavored. The franchisee may face a denial; even if approved, the Development Extension Fee applies.
• Discipline: the franchisee monitors the trajectory throughout the period. If a 60-day buffer becomes a 30-day buffer, file the extension request then — not 10 days out. The Manual is explicit: “The absence of slack in your schedule is not grounds for extension after the fact.”

6.7 — Modifying an authorized site without approval

After Site Authorization, the franchisee’s contractor recommends a small layout change. The franchisee accepts the recommendation and proceeds without re-engaging HiON.

• Consequence: §6.3.3 [MANDATORY] violation. Material breach if the change affects layout, cabinet location, parking count, accessibility, signage, or lease structure. HiON may revise, condition, or revoke authorization.
• Discipline: any post-authorization material change goes back through HiON for written approval. The franchisee documents what changed and why, submits, and waits.

6.8 — Promising the Site Host any exclusivity, radius, or buffer

The franchisee, in negotiation, accepts a Site Host’s request for an exclusivity clause to close the deal. They reason that the clause is “just for this Site Host’s property” and not a system-wide commitment.

• Consequence: §4.1.2 [MANDATORY] violation — no exclusivity, no protected territory, no buffer, no radius, no no-compete geographic right beyond what is expressly permitted by HiON in the Lease Addendum or a separately approved writing. Material breach.
• Discipline: decline the exclusivity. Disqualify the lease term. Loop in the FBC + Site Acquisition Support. If the Site Host will not proceed without exclusivity, disqualify the site and document the disqualification.

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Section 7 · Competency assessment

Knowledge check (12 questions; 80% pass; one retake permitted; second failure triggers FBC review)

1. The Search Area is: (a) a permanent geographic territory the franchisee holds for the duration of the FA (b) a temporary, designated geographic area within which the franchisee searches for a site, ending when HiON authorizes a site or the site-selection deadline expires (c) a marketing territory granting exclusivity in a defined radius around the operating Facility (d) a brand-protection zone preventing other Franchisees from advertising nearby

2. Once a HiON EV Facility is operational, the franchisee’s territorial protection is: (a) a 10-mile radius (b) a 5-mile radius (c) none — there is no territorial protection, exclusivity, buffer, or radius right of any kind (d) determined by the lease

3. Minimum usable parking spaces for a site to advance to Evaluation: (a) 2 (b) 3 (c) 4 (d) 6

4. A site whose parking lot is gated at night with no after-hours access solution is: (a) acceptable if the Site Host commits to 24-hour notice for service providers (b) acceptable if charging demand is lower at night (c) disqualified — must guarantee 24/7/365 driver and service-provider access (§2.1.4) (d) acceptable with an exception under §1.2.6

5. A franchisee becomes aware of a Site Host lead outside their Search Area. The correct next action is: (a) contact the Site Host briefly to express interest and report to HiON afterward (b) do not contact further; submit a Cross-Territory Opportunity Escalation through the Partner Portal (c) refer the lead to a Franchisee they know operates in that area (d) ignore the lead — it’s not theirs

6. Minimum lead data must be captured in the Partner Portal pipeline tracker: (a) within 24 hours of first contact (b) within 5 Business Days of first contact (c) within 30 days of first contact (d) before advancing to Stage 5 (Evaluation)

7. The Site Authorization deadline for the first HiON EV Facility: (a) 90 days after FA signing (b) 180 days after FA signing (c) 365 days after FA signing (d) determined entirely by FA Attachment A’s Projected Opening Date

8. After receiving written Site Authorization, the franchisee must execute the lease within: (a) 30 days (b) 60 days (c) 90 days (d) 12 months

9. A Site Host’s general counsel asks for a revenue projection for the prospective site. The franchisee may: (a) provide industry-comparable data with a disclaimer (b) provide an averaged figure from the franchisee’s other HiON sites (c) provide only the disclosures in FDD Item 19 or the actual records of a specific existing HiON EV Facility the franchisee owns or is evaluating to purchase (d) provide a high-low range with an internal underwriting caveat

10. Once HiON has authorized a site, the franchisee may make material changes (cabinet location, layout, accessibility path, signage location, lease structure): (a) without notice, if the change improves the site (b) with verbal FBC approval (c) only with HiON prior written approval (§6.3.3 [MANDATORY]) (d) provided the change is documented in the franchisee’s records

11. A site Walk during business hours satisfies §5.2.2’s required observations: (a) yes — the day visit captures all required information (b) yes, provided the audit checklist is completed (c) no — a follow-up night visit is required before finalizing the site (§5.2.2.6) (d) only if the Site Host has not requested a night visit

12. An extension request for a §6.4 milestone must be submitted: (a) within 5 days after the milestone passes (b) at least 10 days before the affected milestone (c) at least 30 days before the affected milestone (§4.2.1) (d) before the FBC’s quarterly touchpoint

Application demonstration — the site assessment scenario

A 45-minute live exercise. The trainer presents the trainee with a Site Acquisition Pack containing:

• A Site Host inquiry email (inbound)
• A satellite/street-view image of the property
• A preliminary parking layout sketch
• A photograph of the property entrance and existing signage
• A summary of the Site Host’s stated requirements (one is a structural disqualifier)
• A copy of the Site Host’s draft lease provisions (one term is a §4.1.2 exclusivity violation)
• A draft service-availability letter from the local utility indicating a 13-month transformer backlog
• The franchisee’s current pipeline (showing this lead at Day 95 into a 180-day Site Authorization window)

The trainee must:

1. Identify the §5.1.2 minimum-requirement disqualifier in the Site Host’s stated requirements
2. Identify the §4.1.2 violation in the draft lease provisions
3. State the correct response to the financial-performance question embedded in the Site Host’s email (§6.2.3)
4. Plan the §6.4 schedule backwards given the 11-month transformer constraint — is this site still feasible inside the 180-day Site Authorization window? What is the FBC conversation that needs to happen?
5. Draft the Cross-Territory Opportunity Escalation if the address turns out to be inside another Franchisee’s Search Area (one of the artifacts hints at this ambiguity)
6. Identify the next two actions the franchisee takes — including the actual sequence of pipeline updates, Partner Portal tickets, and FBC touchpoint requests

Pass criteria: trainee correctly identifies the §5.1.2 disqualifier; correctly identifies the §4.1.2 exclusivity violation; correctly applies §6.2.3 FPR discipline; correctly identifies the §6.4 schedule constraint and the §4.2.1 extension request path; correctly executes the §4.3.4 cross-territory escalation. Citation of section numbers preferred but not required if substantive actions are correct.

Site Walk OJT (240 minutes — half-day at a HiON EV Facility or a candidate site)

At a HiON EV Facility (or, ideally, a candidate site approved by the facilitator), the trainee runs the §5.2.2 nine-step Site Walk checklist live:

• Perimeter walk with parking-count math
• Utility service entrance + transformer identification with photographs
• Underground utility indicator observation
• Accessibility path observation
• Lighting assessment (the OJT is timed to capture both day and dusk if possible)
• Adjacent uses and traffic pattern observation
• Gated access and after-hours observation
• Defined next step and pipeline status update

The trainee produces, by end of OJT:

• A populated On-Site Audit Worksheet
• The required 9-category photo set
• An initial Go/No-Go recommendation with reasoning

The facilitator scores against the §6.1.2 measurement and observation requirements. The OJT competency check feeds the franchisee’s day-one capability to run real Site Walks.

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Section 8 · Job aids

Job Aid 8.1 — The 9 minimum site requirements checklist

A single-page checklist the franchisee runs through at Discovery and again at Site Walk. Each minimum has a yes/no field; any “no” disqualifies the site. Includes the §5.1.2 [APPROVAL REQUIRED] exception path for sites where the franchisee believes deficiency can be cured during build.

File: modules/M04-jobaids/M04-minimum-requirements-checklist.md

Job Aid 8.2 — The 7-stage pipeline tracker template

Populated template mapping the §4.3.3 stages with: stage definition, exit criteria, minimum lead-data fields for each stage, expected duration, and the most common reasons for advancement or disqualification at each stage.

File: modules/M04-jobaids/M04-pipeline-tracker.md

Job Aid 8.3 — The Cross-Territory Opportunity Escalation form

Fillable form for the §4.3.4 four-step process. Includes the minimum-lead-data section, the cross-territory awareness section (how the franchisee became aware), and the participation-request section (if the franchisee wants to be considered for the opportunity).

File: modules/M04-jobaids/M04-cross-territory-escalation.md

Job Aid 8.4 — Site Walk operator-grade checklist

The §5.2.2 nine-step checklist in operator-pocket format, with the required photo categories (§6.1.2) on the reverse. The DBM carries this to every site walk.

File: modules/M04-jobaids/M04-site-walk-checklist.md

Job Aid 8.5 — The three-phase Evaluation Workflow tracker

A tracker for moving a site through Desktop Pre-Check → On-Site Audit → Electrical and Utility Assessment. Each phase has its required outputs, its 5-Business-Day Partner Portal upload window, and the SME contacts (Engineering and Design Review for the technical phases; FBC for the feasibility review).

File: modules/M04-jobaids/M04-evaluation-tracker.md

Job Aid 8.6 — The Item 19 FPR discipline card

Pocket card with the §6.2.3 [MANDATORY] verbatim quote on the front and the only two permitted FPR sources on the back: FDD Item 19 disclosures or the records of a specific existing HiON EV Facility the franchisee owns or is evaluating to purchase. Includes the redirect language for Site Hosts, lenders, and investors who push for projections.

File: modules/M04-jobaids/M04-fpr-discipline-card.md

Job Aid 8.7 — The Site Authorization Submittal master checklist

The eight components of a complete submittal (§6.3.1) as a fillable checklist. For each component: the source artifact, the producer (franchisee / engineer / utility / advisor), the upload location (Partner Portal section), and the verification step.

File: modules/M04-jobaids/M04-authorization-submittal-checklist.md

Job Aid 8.8 — The §6.4 backwards-planning calendar

A populated calendar template. Inputs: FA execution date, Projected Opening Date from FA Attachment A. Outputs: Day-180 Authorization target, Day-240 lease execution target, Day-365 permit completion target (or 30 days before Projected Opening Date, whichever is earlier), and the absolute outer 18-month-from-lease-execution opening boundary. Visualizes the runway and identifies where utility timelines (transformer backlog) can push the schedule.

File: modules/M04-jobaids/M04-backwards-planning-calendar.md

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Section 9 · Facilitator notes

Pacing — 180 minutes (3 hours, two 10-minute breaks built in) + 240 minutes OJT

Time	Section	Notes
0:00–0:10	Opening — the “I think we can make 2 spaces work” gotcha	Read aloud a redacted version of an actual Site Host email proposing a sub-3-stall layout. Ask the room what they would do. Most operators will start problem-solving the layout. The right answer is “disqualify and document.” Sets tone for §4.6.
0:10–0:30	§4.1 (Territory + no-protection rule)	Walk the Search Area / Development Territory concepts. Use the verbatim §4.1.2 callout. Run Drill 5.2 (cross-territory referral).
0:30–0:50	§4.3 (Lead handling, pipeline stages, reporting cadence)	Walk the 7-stage pipeline with the Partner Portal tracker live if possible. Distribute Job Aids 8.2 and 8.3. Run Drill 5.5 (30-day stale lead).
0:50–1:05	§4.4 (Ideal Host Profile + 9 minimums)	Walk the 8 IHP categories with examples from HiON’s portfolio. Walk each of the 9 minimums with the verbatim Manual language. Distribute Job Aid 8.1. Run Drill 5.1 (“almost meets the minimum” site).
1:05–1:15	BREAK
1:15–1:30	§4.5 (Outreach + Site Walk)	Walk the four [MANDATORY] outreach standards. Walk the 9-step site walk checklist. Distribute Job Aid 8.4. Run Drill 5.3 (after-hours gate, revisited) and Drill 5.6 (day-only site walk).
1:30–2:00	§4.6 (Evaluation workflow — three phases)	Walk Desktop Pre-Check, On-Site Audit, Electrical/Utility Assessment in detail. Use a real (redacted) utility service-availability letter as a visual. Distribute Job Aid 8.5. The Manual quote — “the step at which the feasibility of a site truly succeeds or fails” — is the punchline for the session. Run Drill 5.8 (9-month transformer).
2:00–2:10	BREAK
2:10–2:25	§4.7 (Financial feasibility + the FPR discipline)	Walk the 13 cost categories + 12 recurring opex categories. Heaviest emphasis on §6.2.3 — Item 19 / FPR discipline. Distribute Job Aid 8.6. Run Drill 5.4 (financial performance question).
2:25–2:45	§4.8 (Authorization Submittal + review)	Walk the 8 components of a complete submittal. Distribute Job Aid 8.7. Run Drill 5.9 (post-authorization change).
2:45–3:00	§4.9 (Deadlines + backwards planning) + close	Walk the 5 hard milestones. Distribute Job Aid 8.8. Run Drill 5.7 (10-mile exclusivity ring). Brief on the 240-minute Site Walk OJT to follow.
OJT (240 min)	At a HiON EV Facility or candidate site	Trainee runs the §5.2.2 9-step Site Walk checklist with the §6.1.2 photo set. Produces an On-Site Audit Worksheet by end of OJT. Facilitator scores against the §6.1.2 standard.
Post-OJT (45 min)	Application Demonstration — Site Acquisition Pack	Back in the classroom; the 45-minute exercise per Section 7.

SME handoffs

• §4.1 (Territory + no-protection rule): Jim Frank (CEO) holds the strategic territory framework. Joe Lewis (COO) on enforcement posture.
• §4.3 (Pipeline mechanics): Jim Frank (CEO) per the Training Matrix — content owner on the M04 source material. Will Frank (Dev) moderates.
• §4.4 (Ideal Host Profile + minimum requirements): Jim Frank (CEO) on the Ideal Host Profile strategic rationale; Tony Cuomo (CX) on the customer-experience dimension of why each minimum exists.
• §4.5–4.6 (Outreach + Evaluation): Jim Frank (CEO) on outreach strategy; Engineering and Design Review SME (when available) for the electrical/utility assessment phase. Tony Cuomo (CX) on the brand-execution dimension of Site Walk observations.
• §4.7 (Financial feasibility + FPR discipline): Jim Frank (CEO) on the financial framework; Joe Lewis (COO) on the FTC Franchise Rule compliance posture — non-negotiable.
• §4.8–4.9 (Authorization + Deadlines): Jim Frank (CEO) on authorization decisions; FBC on backwards planning per franchisee.
• Application Demonstration: Best run as a four-person panel — Jim, Joe Lewis, Tony, and an Engineering and Design Review SME.

Decision drill — model answers

Drill 5.1 — Sub-3-stall site. Response: disqualify. Cited basis: §5.1.2 [MANDATORY] — minimum 3 usable parking spaces in a configuration that permits the standard HiON charging-bay layout without reconfiguring unaffected host parking operations. The Site Host’s “might” willingness to reconfigure the loading zone is not a commitment, and reconfiguring host parking operations to create the third stall fails the “usable” definition. Next two actions:

1. Decline to advance the lead past Stage 4. Update the pipeline tracker to Disqualified with reason: “fails §5.1.2 minimum 3 usable parking spaces.”
2. If the franchisee believes the site is worth a Section 1.2.6 exception (because the Site Host’s reconfiguration commitment can become firm), file the exception request before advancing. Do not advance pending an unfiled exception — the [APPROVAL REQUIRED] standard explicitly applies even when the franchisee believes the deficiency can be cured.

Drill 5.2 — Cross-territory referral. Response to the Site Host: do not reply substantively. Brief acknowledgment is permissible only if it does not solicit, pitch, or advance the conversation. Cited basis: §4.3.4. Four-step sequence:

1. Do not contact the Site Host further.
2. Submit a Cross-Territory Opportunity Escalation through the Partner Portal within 2 Business Days of becoming aware (per §4.4 cadence): minimum lead data, reason for awareness (“met at industry conference; emailed me directly”), any existing relationship (“none other than the conference”).
3. HiON evaluates, routes the opportunity to the appropriate Franchisee/MUDA partner or to HiON-assigned development, and advises whether and on what terms the originating franchisee may participate.
4. The franchisee may not solicit, pitch, or close without HiON written authorization. At the FBC touchpoint in two days, the franchisee mentions the escalation has been filed and asks for any timeline visibility on HiON’s routing decision.

Drill 5.3 — Site Host’s after-hours gate. Response: the site does not meet §5.1.2 minimum 2 (24/7/365 driver and service-provider access). The Site Host’s commitment to provide service-technician access with 2 hours’ notice does not solve the driver-access problem. Cited basis: §2.1.4 [MANDATORY] + §5.1.2 [MANDATORY]. Next two actions:

1. Counter-propose with a §2.1.4-compliant 24/7/365 access framework. The franchisee may propose a designated after-hours access mechanism — a separate keyed gate, an automated access code, an on-site security arrangement — that meets driver access requirements. If the Site Host is willing to install this, the site can proceed.
2. If the Site Host will not accept a §2.1.4-compliant access solution, disqualify the site. Update the pipeline tracker. Document the disqualification with the cited basis. Move on.

Drill 5.4 — Financial performance question. Response language (verbatim): “The disclosures we’re permitted to share with you on revenue come from two sources: the financial performance representations in Item 19 of our Franchise Disclosure Document, which I can provide directly, and the actual operating records of an existing HiON EV Facility I own or am evaluating to purchase. I can walk you through Item 19 in detail. I cannot provide an averaged or projected figure for your site because doing so would violate the FTC Franchise Rule under the disclosures we’re bound by.” Cited basis: §6.2.3 [MANDATORY] + FTC Franchise Rule. What the franchisee escalates: nothing immediately. If the Site Host insists on projections beyond Item 19 disclosures, the franchisee can offer to loop in HiON’s Site Acquisition Support to address the underwriting question — but the franchisee does not provide unauthorized FPRs even under pressure.

Drill 5.5 — 30-day stale leads. Response: cosmetic updates are a §4.3.2 violation (no misleading status). Cited basis: §4.3.2 + §4.3 Metrics. Corrective action: for each of the three stale leads, the franchisee chooses one of three concrete paths:

1. Move the lead to Stage 4 (Site Walk) with a date for the walk and a confirmation from the Site Host
2. Disqualify the lead with a reason captured in the tracker
3. Escalate to the FBC with the specific reason for the stall (decision-maker unavailable, internal hold-up, etc.) and a concrete next-action date Batch updates to “still in progress” do not satisfy the cadence requirement and create an audit-finding exposure when the FBC reviews the pipeline.

Drill 5.6 — Day-only Site Walk. 11 am Wednesday satisfies the day-walk portion of §5.2.2 but does not satisfy §5.2.2.6 (lighting observation requires a night follow-up if the audit is during the day). The franchisee must — regardless of the day-walk outcome — schedule a night follow-up visit before finalizing the site. The Site Host’s general manager does not have to attend the night visit; the franchisee can conduct it with their own team. Document the night-visit observations in the On-Site Audit Worksheet.

Drill 5.7 — 10-mile exclusivity ring. Response: decline. Cited basis: §4.1.2 [MANDATORY] — no written or oral commitment granting or implying a radius or exclusivity right beyond what is expressly permitted by HiON in the Lease Addendum or a separately approved writing. The 15-year zero-escalation rent is attractive on its own; the exclusivity ring makes the lease unsignable. Next two actions:

1. Counter-propose the rent terms without the exclusivity. The franchisee can accept favorable rent on its own merits.
2. If the Site Host conditions the rent terms on the exclusivity, disqualify the lease term. Document the disqualification. Loop in the FBC + Site Acquisition Support if the Site Host pushes back.

Drill 5.8 — 9-month transformer. This is actually an 11-month transformer per the drill. Immediate next two actions:

1. Open a Partner Portal ticket under Engineering and Design Review documenting the utility response. Request HiON’s evaluation of (a) whether the 11-month timeline is acceptable for this site given the franchisee’s Development Schedule, and (b) whether any utility-side acceleration is available through HiON’s relationships. Cited basis: §6.1.3 [APPROVAL REQUIRED] — sites requiring utility service upgrades above the Site Design Manual threshold require HiON written approval before continuing to pursue the site.
2. Within 5 Business Days, schedule a Franchise Business Consultant touchpoint to discuss whether to continue with this site or pivot. Begin preparing an §4.2.1 Development Extension request in parallel — the franchisee is 95 days into a 180-day window, the 11-month transformer cannot deliver the site within the 180-day Authorization horizon, and the §6.4 [APPROVAL REQUIRED] extension must be filed no later than 30 days before the affected milestone (Day 150). The franchisee has approximately 25 days to file the extension OR identify an alternative site that can hit Day 180. The contingency: identify a second pipeline site at Stage 3 or 4 that can be accelerated through Evaluation. If no such alternative exists in the Search Area, file an extension request with HiON, documenting the utility-driven cause and proposing a revised Authorization deadline. The Development Extension Fee applies.

Drill 5.9 — Post-authorization cabinet move. Yes, this requires HiON prior written approval. Cited basis: §6.3.3 [MANDATORY] — material changes to an authorized site include cabinet location. The fact that the change does not affect parking count, accessibility path, signage, or lease structure is irrelevant; the cabinet location itself is enumerated as a material change. Next action: open a Partner Portal ticket under Engineering and Design Review with the proposed change, the engineer’s reasoning (conduit-run simplification), and the request for approval. Do not proceed with construction at the new location until HiON approval is written. The 5-Business-Day notification standard from §6.3.3 applies if new information has emerged that materially affects feasibility.

Recommended visual aids

• A real, redacted utility service-availability letter projected during §4.6
• A real, redacted Site Authorization Submittal package (one previously authorized; one previously declined) during §4.8
• The §6.4 deadlines table with arrows projected onto a real calendar during §4.9
• An actual Partner Portal pipeline tracker view during §4.3

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Section 10 · Cross-references

Modules

• M01 (System and Role Split — §1.1, §2.1, §3.1) — the §2.1.4 24/7/365 requirement is operationalized at the site-acquisition stage here as the §5.1.2 minimum that disqualifies sites with gated access; the §3.1 channels are used for every Partner Portal submission in this Module
• M02 (Governance, Manual, Support, Escalation — §1.2, §1.3, §3.2, §3.3, §3.4) — §1.2.6 exception process governs every “almost meets the minimum” case; §3.3 audit posture covers pipeline data accuracy under §4.3.2
• M03 (Brand Promise and Brand Execution — §2.2–§2.4) — §2.4 signage and wayfinding requirements drive the Site Walk observation discipline in §5.2.2 (where wayfinding can be installed); §2.3.4 voice and tone governs Site Host outreach in §5.2.1
• M05 (Lease, Site Host Relationship, Lease Addendum — §5.3–§5.5) — picks up where this Module ends: at the Stage 6 (Negotiation) lease execution, the Lease Addendum, the Collateral Assignment, the SBA Addendum, and the §5.4.3 lease approval workflow
• M06–M07 (Build phases — §7) — the §6.3.3 post-authorization no-material-change discipline applies through every design and construction decision
• M13 (Finance — §12.2 + §12.4) — financial-performance representations (§6.2.3) intersect with Gross Sales reporting (§12.4) — the franchisee may not use Gross Sales data outside Item 19 boundaries
• M14 (Compliance, Safety, Insurance, Risk — §13) — §6.2.3 FPR discipline is also a compliance posture; FTC Franchise Rule exposure aligns with §13 regulatory framework

External documents

• Operations Manual §4 (Territory, Development, Pipeline)
• Operations Manual §5.1–§5.2 (Ideal Host Profile + Outreach + Site Walk)
• Operations Manual §6 (Evaluation + Feasibility + Site Authorization)
• Franchise Agreement Attachment A (Search Area; Projected Opening Date)
• Multi-Unit Development Agreement Attachments A, B, D (where applicable)
• FDD Item 7 (initial investment categories); Item 11 (training and pre-opening deadlines); Item 19 (financial performance representations)
• HiON Site Design Manual (Partner Portal — baseline configuration, layout variants, utility upgrade thresholds)
• Partner Portal Site Host pitch materials and approved messaging
• Operations Manual Appendices: Desktop Pre-Check Worksheet, On-Site Audit Worksheet, feasibility template, Site Authorization Submittal template

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Section 11 · Source verification log

Claim	Manual / FA reference	Status
Search Area defined in FA Attachment A; Development Territory in MUDA Attachment A; Development Schedule in MUDA Attachment B	§4.1.1	verified (Manual references the FA/MUDA attachments)
No-protection rule verbatim	§4.1.2 callout	verified
Three [MANDATORY] no-protection standards	§4.1.2	verified
Search Area working-constraint definition + three [MANDATORY] / [RECOMMENDED] standards	§4.1.3	verified
Six [MANDATORY] Multi-Unit Developer standards	§4.2	verified
Development Extension request — 60-day-before submission requirement; Development Extension Fee per FDD	§4.2.1	referenced — FDD primary needed for actual fee [CONFIRM]
Development Transfer Fee	§4.2.2	referenced — FDD primary needed for actual fee [CONFIRM]
Five sources of Site Host leads	§4.3.1	verified
11 minimum lead-data fields	§4.3.2	verified
Lead capture within 5 Business Days; 2-week update cadence; 30-day stale-lead trigger	§4.3.2	verified
No-double-entry / no-misleading-naming discipline	§4.3.2	verified
7-stage pipeline definitions with exit criteria	§4.3.3	verified
Cross-Territory Opportunity Escalation four-step	§4.3.4	verified
Five required reports with cadence and due dates	§4.4	verified
Three [MANDATORY] reporting standards	§4.4	verified
8 Ideal Host Profile categories	§5.1.1	verified
9 minimum site requirements [MANDATORY]	§5.1.2	verified
Sub-minimum advancement requires [APPROVAL REQUIRED] exception	§5.1.2	verified
Four [MANDATORY] outreach standards	§5.2.1	verified
9-step Site Walk checklist	§5.2.2	verified
Three-phase Evaluation Workflow (Desktop Pre-Check, On-Site Audit, Electrical/Utility Assessment)	§6.1	verified
Desktop Pre-Check seven verification areas + Worksheet [MANDATORY]	§6.1.1	verified
On-Site Audit measurements + 9 photo categories + 5-BD Partner Portal upload	§6.1.2	verified
Electrical/Utility Assessment franchisee actions and confirmation criteria	§6.1.3	verified
[APPROVAL REQUIRED] for utility upgrades above Site Design Manual threshold	§6.1.3	verified
13 cost categories + 12 recurring opex categories	§6.2.1–§6.2.2	verified
§6.2.3 [MANDATORY] FPR discipline — verbatim	§6.2.3	verified
Feasibility document [MANDATORY] before submittal	§6.2.4	verified
8-component Site Authorization Submittal	§6.3.1	verified
4 authorization outcomes (Authorized / Authorized with Conditions / Clarification Requested / Declined)	§6.3.2	verified
15-Business-Day HiON response time for complete submittal	§6.3.2	verified
No-material-changes post-authorization [MANDATORY]	§6.3.3	verified
5-Business-Day notification of materially-affecting new information	§6.3.3	verified
Five §6.4 hard milestones (180-day Authorization; 60-day lease; 30-day-before-Projected-Opening permits; 12-month outer permit boundary; 18-month outer opening boundary; MUDA milestones)	§6.4	verified
Extension request [APPROVAL REQUIRED] — 30 days before affected milestone	§4.2.1 + §6.4	verified
FA Attachment A contains Projected Opening Date	§6.4 reference	referenced — FA primary needed [CONFIRM]

Outstanding unverified items

#	Claim	Primary source needed	Resolver
M04.OUT.01	Development Extension Fee amount	FDD	Jim Frank / counsel
M04.OUT.02	Development Transfer Fee amount	FDD	Jim Frank / counsel
M04.OUT.03	FA Attachment A specific Search Area boundaries and Projected Opening Date	FA primary (varies per franchisee)	Jim Frank
M04.OUT.04	HiON Site Design Manual utility upgrade threshold	Site Design Manual (Partner Portal)	Tony Cuomo / Engineering and Design Review
M04.OUT.05	FDD Item 19 specific FPR disclosures	FDD primary	Jim Frank / counsel
M04.OUT.06	Specific cost figures for FDD Item 7 (initial investment ranges)	FDD primary	Jim Frank / counsel

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Section 12 · Change log

Version	Date	Author	Changes
v0.1	2026-05-19	Claude (draft)	Initial draft against Operations Manual v1.0 Working Draft. All Manual citations verified. NotebookLM draft’s “minimum 4 parking spaces” corrected to Manual’s actual “minimum 3” (§5.1.2). The 8 Ideal Host Profile categories from §5.1.1 (vs. the NotebookLM’s narrower list). The 9 minimum site requirements from §5.1.2 (vs. the NotebookLM’s 5). The 4 Site Authorization outcomes from §6.3.2 (vs. the NotebookLM’s 3). Six outstanding items defer to FA / FDD / Partner Portal primary.