“Travel.” A word that conjures up different ideas to different people: Vacation. Exploration. Mobility. Freedom. Whatever the reason though, most will concede that nothing compares to the excitement of hitting the open road in search of new adventures. Travel is one of the greatest freedoms we enjoy as Americans, whether it be a family holiday, a romantic weekend getaway or an out-of-town social event, and it should be accessible to people of every stratum. Unfortunately, rising gas prices have left many feeling like travel (especially the long-distance variety) is simply out of reach. That’s why we have been actively working to install charging stations at points of interest along the West Coast where vacationers and other long-distance travelers frequent. Now, satiating that wanderlust doesn’t have to cost $7 a gallon or come with a side of carbon-emitting pollutants.

In that vein, we have decided to name one of our most celebrated new installations – what has become a crown jewel in our revamped West Coast Electric Highway (WCEH) – the featured site for May 2022: Cannon Beach RV Resort in beautiful Cannon Beach, Oregon. The address there is 340 Elk Creek Road and can be found here:

As you approach the resort, sucking in the smell of windswept ocean coastlines and marveling at the sight of tall, majestic pines, you’re immediately reminded why the freedom to travel is so important in the first place. Pulling into the resort, which is open year-round, you’re greeted by lush, pristinely manicured grounds and a sprawling lot where our Level 2 and DC fast chargers reside. Roadtrippers can swing into the convenience store for supplies, shoot billiards in the game room, catch up on laundry, swim laps in the indoor pool or walk a couple thousand feet to the beach while their EV juices up. Numerous dining options are less than a mile away, too, from Tom’s Fish & Chips to Pelican Brewing Company to Wayfarer Restaurant and Lounge with its awe-inspiring seafront dining. Area attractions include the Ecola Creek Forest Reserve, Ecola State Park, Arcadia and Tolovana Beach Recreation Sites, and famous Haystack Rock, featured in Hollywood films like Kindergarten Cop and The Goonies.

But the scenery isn’t the only thing to marvel at. Our new Tritium RTM 50kW DCFC is quite a sight for EV drivers to behold as well. The unit boasts light yet robust construction designed to thrive in almost any climate, with its patented liquid-cooling technology and, at just 369 pounds, a slim, compact form touting the smallest footprint of any fast charger on the market. It has both CCS-combo and CHAdeMO connectors, 50-500V supply output with greater than 94% charging efficiency, 4G wireless and gigabit ethernet communications capability, surge protection against lighting strikes, and an intuitive interface layout for easy operation. Best of all, like all EVCS chargers, it is powered 100% by renewable energy.

The installation has been part of our ongoing collaboration with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to revitalize the northwestern legs of the WCEH. In a press release last year, our CEO, Gustavo Occhiuzzo explained, “EVCS’s collaboration with ODOT to upgrade the West Coast Electric Highway will help increase driver confidence in going electric… through our sustainable charging stations.” Renovations were made possible by a $4 million grant provided by ODOT, who clearly recognized the importance of accessible travel to their state’s idyllic vacation havens when they noted in a statement of their own, “The initiative is a collection of projects, funding sources, and partners sharing the same vision – to provide confidence for electric vehicle drivers traveling up and down the West Coast, enabling EV drivers to enjoy longer trips and travel between cities.”

The Cannon Beach site is just one of 44 existing stations in Oregon’s WCEH network, although we expect to expand the number of sites throughout the state as EV ownership becomes even more widespread. In the meantime, we’re happy doing our part to make sure visitors can hit that wide open highway when the call to travel beckons without fear of getting stranded, and while knowing that they’re simultaneously doing their part to keep sites like Cannon Beach green, clean and pristine.

See a short video clip of the location below!
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Video footage credit: Oregon DOT