2021: A YEAR IN REVIEW

Two thousand twenty-one saw a plethora of advancements in the electric mobility space, from a record number of charging installations to innovative new EV models hitting the market to progressive climate legislation that is spurring the sea change away from pollutant-emitting ICEs. Amidst all this, the EVCS team once again looks back at the last 12 months to take stock of our own unique achievements in advancing the goal of a cleaner future.

Sustainable is Attainable

We became an EV fast-charging network operator powered by 100% renewable energy. To do this, we purchase a gigawatt-hour of electricity from one of our dedicated clean energy suppliers like wind and solar farms to offset each gigawatt-hour of electricity we use that doesn’t come from a renewable source.

A Brand Apart

We executed an ambitious marketing and publicity campaign aimed at communicating the ethos of the EVCS brand: accessibility, responsibility, sustainability. We hired professional photographers to generate quality images of our new charging installations, expanded our website’s blog content, and employed boutique publicity firm PR DEPT to ensure our messaging was reaching our core audience: you.

Capital Commitment

In April, we closed a credit facility with the Commodity and Global Markets division of Macquarie Group, an environmentally conscious financial services company with over half a century of unbroken profitability and nearly three-quarters of a trillion dollars under management. Our multi-million dollar deal allows us to continue the fast-paced expansion of our DCFC network as EV demand grows.

Media Matters

In May, we made public our partnership with iKahan Media, a certified outdoor media company, to employ a “digital billboard network” that fuses our chargers with state-of-the-art LED screens used for advertising and promotions. As a result, we created a new revenue stream for site owners that further improves the economic viability of hosting chargers.

Fit for Collaboration

June wasn’t all gloom as we began collaborating with Fitness International, parent company of national health club operator LA Fitness, that requires us to install and manage DCFCs at their various locations across SoCal. Their company benefits from revenue-sharing on every kWh charged while simultaneously offering a convenient new amenity to a rapidly growing market segment.

WCEH Gets a Facelift

In August, we announced that we were forging ahead with a plan to upgrade the 44 existing chargers along Oregon’s leg of the West Coast Electric Highway while also adding three more and turning 11 into large-scale “superstations.” The project was generously funded through a $4 million grant by ODOT, and in return, we rewarded EV drivers with free charging at these sites until the renovation is complete.

Partners in Clime

Less than a month ago, we revealed that we had joined forces with leading EV charging technology company Tritium in our quest to provide scalable solutions for carbon-neutral infrastructure. Our contract has us purchasing over 400 Tritium fast chargers as part of our strategy to significantly increase our network across California, Oregon, and Washington by the end of 2022.

Our DNA is Green

Our efforts have made a significant environmental impact. In 2021, our chargers saw over 195,000 kWh of charging, which resulted in estimated greenhouse gas reductions from 350,000 fewer ICE miles driven as well as the sequestering of carbon across the equivalent of 171 acres of US forests.

Looking Ahead to ‘22

With 2021 now mostly behind us, we again “charge” headfirst into the future. Our 2022 agenda is teeming with action items that include lobbying for and utilizing greater government incentives that increase EV adoption, building up our EV infrastructure across multiple US states, including renovation of the WCEH, facilitating numerous new strategic partnerships with both public and private entities, and spreading good cheer as we visibly reduce our carbon footprint.

Thanks to our readership for supporting this blog and we’ll see you again in the new year! Happy holidays from EVCS!

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Installation of the Month (February 2021): Hollywood & Highland

In the movie Spider-man, Uncle Ben tells Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The phrase, which came to be known as the “Peter Parker Principle,” is just as true today as it was 20 years ago when the movie first premiered. And just as Peter took seriously his newfound powers, we take seriously our responsibility to facilitate broader access to vehicle electrification options – quite literally the “great power” here is the electricity that keeps EVs moving. We also understand the power of movies and television to convey the importance of electric mobility, be it through information, entertainment or influence marketing. As such, Hollywood has become a tremendous partner in advancing the EVCS mission.

Installation of the Month (January 2021): Barlow Respiratory Hospital

While 2021 brings hope and promise for greater widespread adoption of electric mobility, a quick glance at our portfolio reminds us of all the headway we’ve already made toward that end. Last year, we seized on positive customer sentiment and abundant fiscal opportunities in the green energy space, allowing us to become one of the top installers of EV charging infrastructure in the State of California (with 500+ installations completed and counting). As such, we thought it might be worthwhile to share some of these installations with you – a new success story each month – so that you can see firsthand the favorable strides we’re making toward a carbon-neutral future.

2020: A Year in Review

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.

Electrification Progress in the Age of COVID

It’s pretty clear that vaccine or no, COVID will be here for a while, and with it the new normal of face masks, social distancing, telecommuting and (consequently) less road travel. While some might view this with trepidation, we see it as an opportunity. Since the earliest weeks of the pandemic, major metro areas like Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago – those with large reductions in automobile traffic – immediately began seeing improvements in air quality, according to articles in the New York Times and Washington Post. More recent, an NPR story noted ozone pollution has decreased as much as 15% in many of these places. It seems an unintended consequence of the lockdown has been to accelerate the transition to responsible mobility by demonstrating its positive effects on the environment.

Commentary on Geotab’s 2020 EV Fleet Trends Article – Part II

Two weeks ago, we published part one of our commentary on Geotab’s in-depth article, “Electric Vehicle Trends 2020: Top 6 Factors Impacting Fleet Electrification” (https://www.geotab.com/white-paper/electric-vehicle-trends/). Again, the idea was to assess whether each of the trends were evolving as Geotab predicted and, if so, how EVCS was responding to them in the marketplace. Below are the final three trends referenced and our thoughts on each.