Installation of the Month (February 2022): Sierra Commons Shopping Plaza

The next stage in the evolution of EV charging will be a network operator’s ability to target consumers with advertising and media content pertinent to their demographic. Our recent partnership with minority-owned iKahan Media has afforded us just that opportunity, allowing for the expansion and creation of “a digital billboard network combining EVCS chargers with state-of-the-art LED screens,” as reported last year in a release on PR Newswire. (You can read that entire piece here) Such an initiative is intended to improve the economics of public charging by generating an additional revenue stream for both us and site hosts, providing advertisers with a select new platform for reaching consumers, and increasing value for EV drivers who want to see content that’s relevant to them.

With that, we’re proud to announce our featured site for February 2022: a brand-new, redesigned charger complete with iKahan digital billboards at the Sierra Commons Shopping Center in the city of Palmdale north of Los Angeles. The address is 39605 10th Street West, which can be found here at this link.

The lot is conveniently located just off the Antelope Valley Freeway, a major north-south corridor through Palmdale, in one of the city’s most popular shopping districts. Within walking distance, drivers will find the Palmdale Marketplace and Antelope Valley shopping malls; an Embassy Suites hotel; retail stores like Target, Best Buy and Bed Bath & Beyond; and countless eateries like Coffee Bean, Chili’s, Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Applebee’s. The area is a paradise for shoppers, which somehow feels appropriate as our first installation to feature targeted advertising content on a big, bold screen.

The charger eschews our old boxy design for a thinner, sleeker new look to accommodate the large auto-facing LCD monitor. The bright 55-inch display is engineered for outdoor usage and boasts a crisp 1920 x 1080 resolution, delivering high-def content that can be targeted hyper-locally to any segment of the market.

Our long-term goals here are three-fold. First, we’re facilitating the transition to this newly designed charger across more of our network. We’re already working to revitalize the EVCS owned original West Coast Electric Highway while simultaneously ramping up the installation of new chargers in highly trafficked areas where such advertising will have the greatest impact. Second, we’re expanding the number of reputable brands that are featuring content on our screens, with mega-brands like LA Fitness leading the charge. Third, we’re using this exciting new revenue stream as a selling point for site owners who may still be skeptical about installing chargers on their properties. For many, this offers the final nudge they need to say yes. Like we always say, “earn green by going green!”

To be certain, we’re not the only ones trumpeting the benefits of merging charging infrastructure with digital advertising. In an article titled “11 Reasons Why EV Charging and Digital Advertising is SMART Business for Shopping Centers and Parking Operators,” online publisher Ensto cited 800 studies by Nielsen that showed every dollar spent on digital advertising achieved a return on investment of three dollars. Moreover, the digital ad market was valued at 19.6 billion dollars in 2016, but based on current market trends, is projected to reach 32.8 billion by 2023. Coupled with what is certain to be explosive growth of EV charging this decade, we believe the untapped opportunities are myriad, and we plan on not only being there as things evolve, but leading the way. Our site at Sierra Commons is just the first small step of many.

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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.