The Benefits of Working with CARB and CEC

The California Energy Commission (CEC) bills itself as a pioneer in “leading the state to a 100% clean energy future.” It recently celebrated its 45th birthday and will be launching a “Clean Energy Hall of Fame” by announcing on December 10th awards honoring groups that are successfully contributing to a carbon-neutral California.

Similarly, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is tasked with developing initiatives to combat the damaging effects of smog and air pollution – something our state knows a little bit about – and they’ve been instrumental in promoting cap-and-trade, LCFS credits and ZEV programs.

This is all to say that these are exactly the sort of organizations we’re proud to work with as we deploy EV charging infrastructure across the state, which simultaneously increases clean energy consumption while decreasing greenhouse gases and other air pollutants.

According to the CEC, cumulative lifetime light-duty ZEV sales in the Golden State through Q2 of 2020 have reached nearly three quarters of a million units, with nearly 10% of that occurring in Q1-Q2 of 2020 alone. This clearly shows a growing demand for clean energy vehicles and, in turn, a need for the infrastructure that will support them.

At last count, the state played host to 62,037 EV chargers – 56.5% of which were privately owned, with the remaining 43.5% available to the public. No surprise to us that the counties with the largest number of DC fast chargers are Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara, which boast denser urban populations. These counties are, incidentally, the only three out of California’s 58 counties with 400+ DCFC installations, meaning there’s plenty of opportunity for growth across the state.

As we march toward 2035, the reality of Governor Newsom’s executive order requiring all new car sales in California to be ZEVs will (hopefully) motivate counties to action, especially those that have otherwise been slow to adopt clean fuel infrastructure. Nearly a dozen counties don’t have a single DC fast charger and approximately 25% have just 10 or less level 2 chargers – across the whole county!

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We’ve always maintained that the greatest barrier to entry in the EV marketplace is the lack of reliable charging options outside single-family homes. But as we grow, so too does our ability to change these statistics. Our turnkey EV solutions have brought numerous benefits to local municipalities across a number of case studies, including additional tax dollars from increased sales (retail, auto, energy, etc.) and rising property values.

While we continue to build installations in areas with high-density populations, which account for a plurality of EV sales, we also want to focus attention on areas of the state with a dearth of installations in order to incentivize greater EV sales there.

For instance, very little EV infrastructure exists in any California counties north of Sonoma, Napa and Sacramento. Plugging these gaps will facilitate more travel between California and other northwestern states like Oregon and Washington, where we’ve already began upgrading the West Coast Electric Highway. More sites also need to be added between LA and San Francisco, with prominent routes through Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties still lacking.

Bottom line: with assistance from the CEC, whose Clean Transportation Program invests up to $100 million annually in projects across the state, and CARB, whose Zero-Emission Vehicle Program is designed to transition drivers from petroleum to clean energy sources through regulation, we believe EVCS has the tools to help California meet its statewide emissions targets and other EV-related goals over the next decade and a half.

Up-to-date statistics on statewide EV charging infrastructure can be found here: https://tableau.cnra.ca.gov/t/CNRA_CEC/views/DMVDataPortal_15986380698710/ZEVInfrastructure?%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3Adisplay_count=n&%3AshowVizHome=n&%3Aorigin=viz_share_link&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y&%3Aembed=y

See what the CEC has to say about the transition to zero-emission mobility here: https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/clean-transportation-program/clean-transportation-funding-areas-0

See what CARB is doing to advance ZEV sales throughout California here: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/zev-collaboration

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Navigating California’s New EV Mandate

California’s going all in on electric. On August 25th, Governor Gavin Newsom made a very important announcement concerning the future of transportation in the Golden State: “We can solve this climate crisis if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to cut pollution. California now has a groundbreaking, world-leading plan to achieve 100 percent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035.” Big and bold, indeed. And while highly encouraging, it brings up a number of questions moving forward.

How EVCS is Repairing Reliability Concerns

One of the biggest concerns among EV drivers today is the reliability of public chargers. One recent survey from the Department of Bioengineering at UC Berkeley claims as many as 23% of public chargers in the Bay Area alone are, as Wired sums up, “nonfunctioning at any given time, stymied by broken screens, shoddy credit card or payment systems, network connection failures, or damaged plugs.” And that’s in a locale prioritizing the conversion to electric. Testimony from motorists seems to corroborate these findings. A CEC survey of 1,290 EV drivers found that fully 60% had experienced damaged or inoperable chargers, while almost half needed assistance from customer service. We find this wholly unacceptable and have taken measures to ensure that chargers in the EVCS network rise to the standard of operability our customers expect. Here are a few ways we’re doing that:

Installation of the Month (July 2022): Kenwood Inn & Spa

A key focus for us over the last several years has been the installation of additional chargers at holiday hot spots, tourist destinations, and other key points of interest. Not only will it help dispel long-range travel anxiety among many new EV drivers, but it will also lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions otherwise generated by gas-guzzlers during peak vacation seasons. Moreover, our egalitarian approach to site selection means we’re just as likely to install a charger at a McDonald’s as we are at a Morton’s since we understand the value in catering to a broad clientele. However, higher net worth individuals continue to drive EV sales in the US (a June 2021 Fuels Institute study specifies middle-aged males with household incomes over $100,000), so catering to venues that offer a luxury experience will encourage even greater participation by this group while serving as a bellwether for lower-income drivers who are attracted to the idea of electric mobility as a symbol of status.

Mexico to Canada EV Road Trip: EVCS Interview

We sat down with EV owner and enthusiast Anthony Williams, a 60-year-old business owner from San Diego, who recently commemorated the 10-year anniversary of his first trans-American road trip in an EV by retracing the same route to see what had changed in the world of EV fast charging, for better or for worse. Below are some of his insights and feedback.

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.