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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“Who’s Saving the Planet?” Podcast Interviews Gustavo Occhiuzzo

EVCS co-founder and CEO Gustavo Occhiuzzo recently spoke on the “Who’s Saving the Planet?” podcast about the electric mobility revolution and what we as a company are doing to help realize a truly carbon-neutral future. During the conversation with hosts Anthony Noto and Jessica Miles, Occhiuzzo made several critical points that help listeners understand where we are now in that mission, the obstacles we face, what EVCS has done to overcome those obstacles, and what we can do better as a global community. Here are some of the most prescient points:

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.