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

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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.

This month, we feature Barlow Respiratory Hospital, located at 2000 Stadium Way in the vibrant Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. See it here:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Barlow+Respiratory+Hospital/@34.0757094,-118.2481853,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x2afb71f5d68ae17f!8m2!3d34.0757094!4d-118.2481853).

The historic property, originally built in 1927, is a 49-bed, not-for-profit, long-term acute care facility that has won numerous awards for its service, including 3-time recipient of the prestigious AARC Quality Respiratory Care Award and the only medical establishment in the Western US to earn the Passy-Muir Center of Excellence distinction. Barlow specializes in treating a diverse range of respiratory issues like pulmonary fibrosis, bacterial pneumonia, acute respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome as well as other related conditions like multi-organ failure and wound care. Learn more about them here:

https://www.barlowhospital.org/

We were naturally thrilled when the hospital asked us to install two 50 kWh DC fast chargers in their outdoor parking lot to satisfy the needs of patients and visitors with EVs. Their close proximity to places like Dodger Stadium, Chavez Ravine Arboretum, Angel’s Point, downtown LA and all its surrounding neighborhoods make it convenient for many local EV drivers while also serving as a bellwether of progress in an area that has been dominated by ICE vehicles for decades. Sometimes lengthy wait times or procedures mean that patients and visitors can rest assured knowing their EV will be fully charged when they leave, with a notification sent to their phone through the proprietary EVCS app once their charging is complete.

We now hope that as hospitals in the area begin to recognize the value of electrified transportation – from smog reduction to cost savings to greater efficiency – we’ll also start to see a conversion to electric ambulances and other emergency vehicles, which would naturally require additional installations. We expect government facilities (LA County operates four hospitals and 19 health centers) to lead the way here. The quality of the Barlow installation was already one of the contributing factors that led EVCS to secure a contract with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to install charging infrastructure at city-owned public parking facilities, so other government-run entities like medical centers is just a small leap.

Thanks again to our wonderful customer, Barlow Respiratory Hospital, for putting your faith in us to handle your installation and for helping not only advance the cause of healthier patients, but also a healthier planet!

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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.