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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Installation of the Month (June 2021): Hyatt Place Riverside/Downtown

The ability to travel is something many of us take for granted. Our Interstate Highway System allows us to freely traverse state boundaries – to go wherever we choose whenever we choose – from the snow-capped Colorado Rockies to the soupy Everglade swamplands to the historic lighthouses of coastal New England. However, EV drivers are more acutely aware of their travel limitations because many areas of the country have yet to adopt pro-electric infrastructure policies, often leaving them with few ground-travel options other than ICE vehicles. We knew getting more Americans to embrace the electric revolution would require buy-in from the hospitality industry. As such, much of our focus has gone toward hotels that, by serving as site hosts for charging stations, can help kickstart that ubiquitous access required to convert many EV holdouts.

Wall Street Journal Piece Brings Up Questions… And We Answer

Stephen Wilmot’s recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “Investors Look for an EV Charge,” debates the merits of investing in EV infrastructure, admitting that while chargers likely make for better investments than cars, the sector still holds many potential pitfalls that should be considered before jumping in. While that may be true, many of the examples backing up this assertion cite the business models of the largest EV installers in the country while failing to consider what less visible but faster-growing companies like EVCS are doing to mitigate such risks. Below are a few quotes from the article and our thoughts on them, including how we’re different.

Commentary on EV Industry Profitability Claims

In a recent Driving.ca article titled “EV-Charging Industry is Doing Everything Except Making Money,” author David R. Baker makes a compelling argument that the EV infrastructure sector is a revenue desert, essentially incapable of generating enough cash flow to sustain profitability due to a lack of interest from motorists. “The dilemma boils down to demand,” he states, before adding that “lots of people still driving gasoline-powered cars won’t consider going electric until they see charging stations widely deployed.”

Installation of the Month (May 2021): LADOT Lot 656

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) notes on its website that ICE vehicles are one of the city’s top contributors to air pollution, accounting for 19% of all greenhouse gas emissions, before proclaiming, “We can do better… We’re investing in public transit, testing new technology, and adopting mobility innovations for a cleaner environment and brighter future.” At first, it might just sound like flowery rhetoric, but we can personally attest to that commitment. Starting in 2019, LADOT partnered with us to install DCFCs at 57 city-owned lots, with almost 30% of those installations now completed. This alliance has been integral in promoting our goal of zero-emission mobility in the City of Angels by facilitating greater access to infrastructure.

Addressing Pain Points in Creating EV Infrastructure

A recent GovTech.com article titled “How Biden Plans to Build 500 EV Charging Stations” discusses the President’s goals for creating a nationwide network of 500,000 such installations by 2030. While it does a smart job laying out many of the pain points we face in facilitating EV adoption, the mention of solutions was far less prevalent, and ones that were mentioned seemed speculative or tenuous. However, over the last three years, EVCS has already taken the lead in addressing many of these challenge areas, allowing us to dominate the installation market across the West Coast.