How EVCS is Helping Change America’s EV Charging Experience

As most of us know, Congress recently approved $7.5 billion in spending for new EV charging installations as part of the larger infrastructure bill, which we expect will help facilitate a speedier transition away from fossil fuels. Even with EV sales increasing in recent years, reports suggest that 25 percent of all carbon emissions still come from the tailpipe, so anything the government can do to kick things up a notch is surely welcome. However, even with such a sizable investment, many challenges still exist that network operators like EVCS will have to help overcome. In a recent article on TheVerge.com, several prescient examples were cited of core areas to focus on if we want to make mass EV adoption a reality. Below are a few such areas and how EVCS is addressing them.

$5 billion will have to be made available to states “to create a network of EV charging stations along designated ‘Alternative Fuel Corridors’, particularly along the Interstate Highway System.”

Many consumers have cited range anxiety as a major concern when considering the transition to electric. A charger at home and perhaps one at the local coffee shop is fine, but long-range travel requires a network of chargers along major arteries that connect cities and states. Ever since our purchase of the West Coast Electric Highway, one of the original “Alternative Fuel Corridors,” we have been focused on installing more chargers near highway on- and off-ramps as well as key tourist destinations to help incentivize long-range travel and alleviate range anxiety.

“The charging experience in the US is intensely fragmented, especially for people who don’t own a Tesla. While Tesla’s Supercharger network has been praised for its seamless user experience and fast charging ability, the opposite appears to be true for pretty much everyone else.”

A major goal at EVCS is both the defragmentation and democratization of the American charging experience for all drivers, not just those with Teslas. This endeavor not only includes us building a more ubiquitous network of chargers outside populated urban centers, but making sure they are fast, easily accessible (i.e., not locked away inside a gated parking garage) and employ a user-friendly interface with simple search functionality, subscription payment options and top-notch customer service. We want to offer VIP-level service regardless of what you drive.

“Not only will it simply take a while to build out [thousands of new] chargers, but the majority of what gets built will likely be of the ‘Level 2’ variety.”

The new infrastructure bill does indeed permit funding to go toward DC fast chargers; however, more funds are likely to go toward cheaper and slower Level 2 chargers because installers can put many more in the ground for the same amount of money. We understand that slower charging times may dissuade some drivers from switching to EVs, which is why we’re using our resources to install or upgrade as many chargers in our network to DCFCs as possible. One of our fast chargers can juice a standard EV battery to 80% in the time it takes to do a typical grocery shopping.

In addition to the $615 million earmarked this year for Alternative Fuel Corridors, a “grant program designed to further increase EV charging access in locations throughout the country, including rural and underserved communities, will be announced later this year.”

Here is yet another area where EVCS has been ahead of the curve. Almost since our inception, we have focused on installing chargers in underserved areas, as we believe democratizing the EV charging experience means greater accessibility in all locations, not just the most affluent. Many drivers in lower-income communities are eager to participate in the greening of society, and we aim to make that possible. Any additional grant programs from the government may simply allow us to accelerate such endeavors.

The Verge article sums things up nicely when it says, “A more dependable charging network will likely help juice EV sales in the US over the next decade.” We agree, but for now, we’re content to let our actions speak louder than our words.

‍

Back

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.