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.

As a way to celebrate this beautiful new installation in the heart of California’s citrus belt and all of the amazing work the physicians and first-responders at this facility do every day, we have decided to make KPC Anaheim Global Medical Center our featured site for June 2022. The address is 1017 South Anaheim Boulevard in Anaheim, 92805, and can be found here.

The Anaheim Global Medical Center has been serving the surrounding community for over four decades with, in their own words, “high-quality, professional and compassionate healthcare.” The 189-bed acute care facility offers a wide variety of services in areas that include cardiology, strokes, gastroenterology, podiatry, orthopedics, inpatient and outpatient surgery, radiology, 24-hour emergency care and behavioral health services. They are fully licensed by the State of California and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, accredited by the acclaimed Joint Commission, winner of a Silver Plus Quality Award from the American Heart Association, and rated top 10% in the nation for patient safety in overall hospital and surgical care by Quantros Carechex.

On top of all that, they are now the proud hosts of four EVCS Tritium RT50s – the most compact, lightweight and durable Level 3 charging units on the market today, which allow for maximized parking space, access to real-time data, 24/7 customer support and up to 50kW of EV-zapping power. They can operate with peak efficiency in temperatures as low as -31°F (not that we’d have such an issue in Orange County!) and as high as 122°F. The unit’s 4G wireless ethernet, RFID capability and OCPP 1.6J communication protocol means an absolute seamless connection between user and network. Moreover, the units have been certified worldwide by CE, RCM and CHAdeMO, as well as by UL and FCC in North America.

The chargers are conveniently located just south of downtown Anaheim off the 5 Freeway and lie in close proximity to other important area medical facilities like UCI, Walsh Medical Group and two urgent care centers. In addition, top attractions like Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Angel Stadium and the Santa Ana Zoo are just a stone’s throw away. Within walking distance is a Walmart, two grocery stores, countless restaurants and Walnut Grove Park, a city-owned recreation space with picnic areas and a children’s playground.

Orange County is an extremely important region as we grow out network across the West Coast; a small but critical keystone linking the larger metropolises of Los Angeles and San Diego Counties that can help eliminate range anxiety for travelers on major north-south corridors like the I-5 and 405 freeways. More than that, local area residents are severely underserved when it comes to EV infrastructure, and their participation in the transition to electric is just as critical as anywhere else if carbon negativity is to become a reality. As we said at the outset, investing in communities is key to our success, which is why we’re so excited to be starting this journey in the OC with a like-minded partner like the KPC Anaheim Global Medical Center.

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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.