2020: A Year in Review

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Two thousand twenty has been a year of undeniable adversity, but also one of remarkable achievement. A year of firsts and hopefully a few lasts. A time of toil and tribulation, but also of triumph. For genuine success is partly defined by our ability to hurdle those implacable obstacles that make the result so noteworthy in the first place. Now, as the EVCS team looks back on this unusual year, we take stock of our unique achievements that made 2020 one for the books.

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Financial Strength

Despite government-mandated shutdowns and prolonged work interruptions, we are on track to end 2020 – our second full year of operation – in profit. Moreover, we increased revenue over last year by a substantial order of magnitude and were able to secure several desirable financial instruments that look to have EVCS humming well into the future.

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Clean Fuel Connection

We acquired an electric installation company from Clean Fuel Connection, Inc., a respected equipment distributor and leader in EV charging infrastructure that already shared our commitment to improving air quality through alternative fuel technology. This acquisition gives us a strong foothold in the already competitive installation market. Learn more at www.cleanfuelconnection.com.

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West Coast Electric Highway

We advanced our mission to create wider accessibility for EVs through our acquisition of the WCEH, an extensive network of 112 DCFC and Level 2 fast chargers throughout Oregon and Washington. Stations are located every 25 to 50 miles in close proximity to freeways and at desirable points of interest. See more at https://evcs.com/wceh.

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Software Innovation

The key to powering such an enormous number of charge points is our new proprietary networking software. This end-to-end management solution allows site hosts a wealth of options, including usage metrics for peak and off-peak times, multiple payment processing options, data on the health of each port, and a world-class mobile app with customer-friendly interface.

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Online Facelift

Early this fall, we launched our brand new, fully redesigned website (https://evcs.com/) complete with details on our turnkey customer solutions, a state-by-state breakdown of EV-related funding programs, a map of our West Coast charging stations and, of course, this nifty blog. We also created a simple online intake form so prospective site hosts could easily reach out.

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A Top Installer

Supportive state-level organizations and a vigorous grassroots marketing effort created a strong tailwind that we were able to capitalize on, resulting in a record number of EVCS installations – with over 500 in the ground as of this writing. And with customer demand steadily increasing year over year, we are just grazing the surface of what we can do.

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What’s Ahead in 2021

With a robust 2020 now mostly in the rearview mirror, we focus our sights on the year ahead – strategizing our approach to build on and improve upon those strides we have already made toward fully realizing the EVCS mission. Our 2021 plans include a new customer subscription model with unlimited monthly charging; renovation of the WCEH, including the mass upgrade of Level 2 chargers to DCFC; continued growth throughout California via a strong pipeline of new projects; and early expansion of the EVCS brand into new states.

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Thanks for reading and we look forward to bringing you lots of useful insights in the new year! In the meantime, happy holidays from the EVCS team!

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Navigating California’s New EV Mandate

California’s going all in on electric. On August 25th, Governor Gavin Newsom made a very important announcement concerning the future of transportation in the Golden State: “We can solve this climate crisis if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to cut pollution. California now has a groundbreaking, world-leading plan to achieve 100 percent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035.” Big and bold, indeed. And while highly encouraging, it brings up a number of questions moving forward.

How EVCS is Repairing Reliability Concerns

One of the biggest concerns among EV drivers today is the reliability of public chargers. One recent survey from the Department of Bioengineering at UC Berkeley claims as many as 23% of public chargers in the Bay Area alone are, as Wired sums up, “nonfunctioning at any given time, stymied by broken screens, shoddy credit card or payment systems, network connection failures, or damaged plugs.” And that’s in a locale prioritizing the conversion to electric. Testimony from motorists seems to corroborate these findings. A CEC survey of 1,290 EV drivers found that fully 60% had experienced damaged or inoperable chargers, while almost half needed assistance from customer service. We find this wholly unacceptable and have taken measures to ensure that chargers in the EVCS network rise to the standard of operability our customers expect. Here are a few ways we’re doing that:

Installation of the Month (July 2022): Kenwood Inn & Spa

A key focus for us over the last several years has been the installation of additional chargers at holiday hot spots, tourist destinations, and other key points of interest. Not only will it help dispel long-range travel anxiety among many new EV drivers, but it will also lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions otherwise generated by gas-guzzlers during peak vacation seasons. Moreover, our egalitarian approach to site selection means we’re just as likely to install a charger at a McDonald’s as we are at a Morton’s since we understand the value in catering to a broad clientele. However, higher net worth individuals continue to drive EV sales in the US (a June 2021 Fuels Institute study specifies middle-aged males with household incomes over $100,000), so catering to venues that offer a luxury experience will encourage even greater participation by this group while serving as a bellwether for lower-income drivers who are attracted to the idea of electric mobility as a symbol of status.

Mexico to Canada EV Road Trip: EVCS Interview

We sat down with EV owner and enthusiast Anthony Williams, a 60-year-old business owner from San Diego, who recently commemorated the 10-year anniversary of his first trans-American road trip in an EV by retracing the same route to see what had changed in the world of EV fast charging, for better or for worse. Below are some of his insights and feedback.

Installation of the Month (June 2022): KPC Anaheim Global Medical Center

“For us, healthcare is not only about caring for our patients, but also about investing in the people who live in our communities.” These are the words emblazoned across the home page of the KPC Anaheim Global Medical Center’s website. Facilities like these are attractive partners for us because, like us, their goal is the betterment of humanity. In fact, just replace “healthcare” with “electric mobility” and “patients” with “planet,” and you have the EVCS mission statement in a nutshell. Allying with kindred spirits creates a natural synergy for us through the sharing of core values like customer service and an improved quality of life. Imagine then our excitement when KPC decided to install four of our newest DC fast chargers on their Anaheim property, giving us the opportunity to continue expanding our network southward.