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.

As the 2021 vacation season shifts into high gear, we felt it was only appropriate to make the beautifully appointed Hyatt Place Riverside/Downtown – home to one of our newest charging installations – the featured site for June. The contemporary five-story building located at 3500 Market Street in the heart of Riverside can be seen here:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hyatt+Place+Riverside%2FDowntown/@33.9854347,-117.385424,15z/data=!3m1!5s0x80dcb1f07ee885d5:0x9be8fe34febc200e!4m8!3m7!1s0x80dcb1f080deee6f:0x43303e7c9b61d412!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d33.9851488!4d-117.3735366

Hyatt Place is conveniently nestled among countless restaurants, bars and cafes, with popular area attractions like the Riverside Convention Center and Fox Performing Arts Center just a short walk away. Guests can enjoy luxurious guest rooms with signature bedding, a complimentary breakfast bar, swimming pool, fitness center, meeting rooms and a 24-hour mini market, all while their EVs charge outside. Moreover, the property sits along a key travel corridor that links metro Los Angeles with hip desert city vacation spots further east like Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage. More about Hyatt Place can be found on their website here:

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/california/hyatt-place-riverside-downtown/ralzr

Clearly, we were thrilled when management asked us to install not one, but three Tritium Veefil RT50 DC fast chargers. These slim, stylish, lightweight stations boast up to 50kW of power, 380-480 VAC supply input, a liquid-cooled interior, and a durable UV-resistant, easy-to-use exterior. The units can charge any EV on the road, require very low maintenance, and feature Open Charge Point Protocol, which allows for seamless integration with the EVCS network.

Hyatt’s commitment to furthering green energy solutions is no surprise to anyone who takes a simple glance at their “Our Planet” webpage, which states, “The biggest environmental challenges cannot be solved alone, so we collaborate with companies in our industry and beyond, stakeholders, and experts to stay at the forefront of best practices and to contribute toward meaningful solutions.” Hyatt Hotels Corporation President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian goes further, declaring, “We have a responsibility to grow thoughtfully and with purpose. We have to build and operate more efficient hotels to reduce waste, energy… and carbon emissions.”

With industry leaders like Hyatt paving the way toward a future where responsible mobility is the norm rather than the exception, we’re confident other hospitality chains will soon follow. And not only hotels and motels, but landmarks, national parks, amusements and other tourist sites that see electrified transportation as an important part of our nation’s future. The ability to freely travel the roads of our great country is so critical to our identity as Americans, but thus far such travel has mainly been limited to pollution-emitting ICEs; now, with Hyatt’s help, EV drivers will be able to start experiencing that freedom, too!

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Top 10 Reasons Why Mass EV Adoption is Inevitable

According to evadoption.com, EV sales are expected to grow from 3.4% of all new auto sales in 2021 to 29.5% in 2030. In fact, they cite several models that forecast explosive growth in EV ownership across the US over the next decade. See the full sales forecasts here complete with bar charts and supporting data: https://evadoption.com/ev-sales/ev-sales-forecasts/. While skeptics might pooh-pooh these projections as overly optimistic, we believe they may actually fall short of the eventual reality. Of course, only time will tell, but below are our top 10 reasons why we believe EVs will be as commonplace as microwaves come 2030.

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.

West Coast Electric Highway to Receive Extensive Upgrade from EVCS

ARCADIA, Calif. (August XX, 2021) – EV Charging Solutions (EVCS), one of the largest electric vehicle (EV) fast charging network operators on the West Coast, today announced that they are approved and funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to upgrade 44 and add three new electric vehicle charging stations on the Oregon portion of the original West Coast Electric Highway (WCEH). Eleven of the 47 stations will be called “superstations” and will include three DC fast chargers and one Level 2 AC charger. In all, more than 100 charging ports will be upgraded or added.

Is Policy Action Alone Enough to Reach Net Zero by 2050?

Recently, BloombergNEF published a telling article titled, “Electric Vehicle Sales Set to Rise Faster Than Ever, but More Policy Action Needed to Get on Track for Net Zero.” The author raises many interesting observations about where we are now in the transition to electric mobility; where we’re projected to be in 10, 20 and even 30 years based on current trajectories; and what we need to do if we’re going to be net zero by 2050.

Auto Trends Magazine: Occhiuzzo Debunks 4 Misconceptions Surrounding EV Fast Charging Stations

Our co-founder and CEO, Gustavo Occhiuzzo, is quickly emerging as a thought leader in the world of electric mobility, becoming someone stakeholders can count on to demystify obscurities and address falsehoods surrounding the installation and application of charging infrastructure. Like any new technology, resistance to adoption is often based on fallacious notions, some of which may be perpetrated by those with a financial interest in competing technologies. Therefore, countering such notions with facts is crucial if both drivers and site hosts are to make an informed decision about EV adoption. Occhiuzzo most recently addressed four of the biggest misconceptions surrounding chargers in the article below for Auto Trends Magazine.