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:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/2418+Daly+St,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90031/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x80c2c67d6faefea1:0x84e204c5120238fd?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjN08O9hpT0AhWRJjQIHbcDDksQ8gF6BAgOEAE

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:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/115+S+Ave+56,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90042/@34.1084388,-118.1935577,18z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x80c2c4108834909f:0x1b79bcb143ff1e8a!2s115+S+Ave+56,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90042!3b1!8m2!3d34.1086175!4d-118.1932735!3m4!1s0x80c2c4108834909f:0x1b79bcb143ff1e8a!8m2!3d34.1086175!4d-118.1932735

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:

https://ladot.lacity.org/projects/parking-la

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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.