Installations of the Month (November 2021): LADOT Lots 628 & 639
November 12th, 2021
Los Angeles continues to be the epicenter for America’s green transportation “EV-olution,” and EVCS continues to lead the charge there, having installed over half the city’s publicly accessible non-Tesla charging stations for two years running. According to industry group Veloz, nearly one in 10 new vehicle sales in California are plug-in vehicles – which accounts for 45% of all plug-in vehicle sales nationwide – and that trend is only growing. In our research, many Angelenos cite the increased prevalence of DCFCs as a key reason why owning an EV has become practical, reducing their range anxiety and offering lightning-fast charging options while they shop, eat and play. This further reinforces the idea that greater access to modern charging infrastructure leads to more EVs on the road, especially in underserved areas that are sorely in need of outside economic investment to spur growth.
With that, we’re proud to announce that we have recently completed two more installations for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). The first is lot 628, located at 2418 Daly Street in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood just off the 5 Freeway near Pasadena Ave. The chargers are smack dab in the middle of a bustling metropolitan zone filled with everything from nail salons and bike shops to Latin restaurants and dollar stores. The Lincoln Heights Branch Library and Rec Center are each just a five-minute walk away. The area’s young urban population is perfectly poised to help drive EV adoption into the future, which was key to the lot’s selection as an installation site. You can find it here:
The second site is lot 639, located at 116 South Ave. 56 in Highland Park just off the 110 Freeway. The neighborhood is known for trendy eateries like Rosty Peruvian restaurant and the Greyhound Bar & Grill; hip shops like Sunbeam Vintage and Gimme Gimme Records; and the famed Highland Park Bowl with its live music, craft cocktails and antique bowling lanes. Looking for a little peace and solitude? The Ernest E. Debs recreation area, replete with wide open green spaces and family-friendly picnic areas, is just a half mile away. Highland Park boasts a growing population of influential Millennials and Gen Zers that are crucial to mainstreaming EVs into the culture, making the choice of a charging site there a no-brainer. See it here:
At each site, we installed four of our signature Slim Line DCFCs, which feature 50kW power ratings, combo CHAdeMO and CCS1 connectors with retractable cords, up to 480 VAC three-phase input power, a top-end efficiency rating of over 90%, and an advanced OCPP network-enabled operating and payment system. Bottom line, there’s a simple reason why LADOT chose us as their trusted partner to expand EV access throughout the city: our egalitarian approach to infrastructure installation means the same great customer service, hardware and software technology regardless of the neighborhood. In other words, shoppers in Lincoln Heights get access to the same quality chargers as those in Beverly Hills.
Moreover, the increase in EV infrastructure and other climate-related investments across underserved LA neighborhoods such as these seems to have a multiplying effect on the local economies. According to the California Climate Investments website, a state-run cap-and-trade program, “Communities where investments occur are realizing a wide range of benefits, including: increased affordable housing opportunities; improved mobility options through transit, walking, and biking; cleaner air through zero-emission vehicles; job creation, energy and water savings; and greener, more vibrant communities.” The chargers we put in the ground at lots 628 and 639 serve to further advance all of these goals, a legacy EVCS is proud to be a part of.
The lots themselves are owned, controlled and maintained by LADOT. More about their parking facilities and green initiatives can be found on their website here:
Last week, governor Gavin Newsom made major headlines when he announced through executive order that California will prohibit the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks starting in 2035 – just 15 years away. Additional regulations will call for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to be carbon-neutral by 2045. For those of us who have been decrying the slow transition from pollutant-emitting internal combustion engines to more efficient ones powered by zero-emission lithium-ion batteries, it was welcomed news.
When we bought the Oregon and Washington State legs of the West Coast Electric Highway (WCEH) earlier this summer, our goal was to promote the idea of responsible mobility by providing a carbon-neutral infrastructure that allowed EV drivers greater freedom of range in their travels. We hoped this would be welcomed news during a time when so many other distractions were dominating the news cycle. But as the pandemic persisted and the effects of the lockdown continued to ravage local economies, we realized that our contiguous network of DC fast chargers might serve another equally noble if somewhat unintended purpose: to facilitate much-needed tourism activity at some of the Pacific Northwest’s most picturesque points of interest.
It can sometimes be difficult to wade through the flurry of sustainable energy bills being proposed in Congress. Several of them are in various stages of the legislative process at any one time, and many never make it out of committee. However, the recently announced Build GREEN Act seems destined for the President’s desk at some point soon, as it comes during a time when crumbling infrastructure and the need to create jobs has become a priority for the current administration. It also has the backing of five powerful progressives in Congress – Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) along with House Reps Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Andrew Levin (D-MI).
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