Installation of the Month (July 2021): LADOT Lot 657

One of our main goals has been to install charging infrastructure in underserved communities, especially urban population centers that are key to our mission of wider EV adoption. Los Angeles is rife with such neighborhoods, where low-income families who wish to participate in the greening of society cry out for cost-effective ways to be part of the solution. Lincoln Heights, one of the oldest sections of the city, is a prime example. The densely populated area boasts numerous Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander groups who have expressed interest in electric mobility, but historically lacked access to the requisite charging stations. Moreover, with a median age of just 24, Lincoln Heights is brimming with younger generation Angelenos who have already embraced the idea of sustainability, but simply need the opportunity to take action.

All that said, we’re very proud to announce that, just last month, we commissioned a brand-new site with four DC fast chargers at LA city lot #657 in Lincoln Heights. So proud, in fact, that we decide to make it our featured site for July. The address is 221 Avenue 22, which can be found here:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/221+S+Ave+22,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90031/@34.0730115,-118.2199383,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x80c2c67d322474e3:0xd7476cf12771d346!8m2!3d34.0730115!4d-118.2177496

The lot is conveniently situated just off the I-5 freeway near North Broadway, with dozens of cafes, restaurants, ATMs, drug stores and retail shops in walking distance for area residents to patronage while they juice their batteries. Moreover, the neighborhood is peppered with historical landmarks that will attract non-residents, from the Los Angeles Alligator Farm to the San Antonio Winery to the famed Church of the Epiphany – the oldest operating Episcopal church in the city where Cesar Chavez gave speeches. The lot itself is owned, controlled and maintained by the LA Department of Transportation. More about their parking facilities and green initiatives can be found on their website here:

https://ladot.lacity.org/projects/parking-la

At Lot 657, our Slim Line DCFCs have 50kW power ratings, combo CHAdeMO and CCS1 connectors, integrated cord retractors, 15-inch outdoor color monitor displays and a maximum DC current output of 125 amps. The better than 90% efficiency rating will have a standard EV battery powered to 80% in just 60 minutes, while the OCPP network-enabled payment system allows for both credit cards and RFID. In other words, Lincoln Heights community members are getting access to the same high-quality chargers that are found in more affluent areas of LA.

Our goals and actions have aligned closely with state lawmakers and private grant programs that stress the need for more equitable distribution of infrastructure. California State Senate Bill 535 and State Assembly Bill 1550 were enacted to address equity concerns around EV adoption by creating a “Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.” According to ScienceDirect, both bills “mandate that at least 25% of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund has to fund state programs that seek to reduce GHG emissions in disadvantaged communities (i.e., communities exposed to a combination of economic, health, and environmental burdens).” In addition, the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CaleVIP) supports a number of EV infrastructure projects, requiring at least a 25% minimum spend in such areas.

With EVCS working alongside state and local government officials, utility companies and private organizations, we are able to maximize our impact in areas that sorely need our help. We can do our part to make sure more citizens of LA can go green without being in the red. Accessibility is only one key component though; visibility is just as critical. As EV adoption takes hold in these communities, more ICE vehicle owners will see the viability of going electric. They will start to shed their reticence and embrace the revolution. Lot 657 is an important step toward this sea change, but just one of many to come.

‍

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.