The Key to Becoming Carbon Negative

We hear a lot about the desire for carbon neutrality these days, and while that’s noble indeed, we at EVCS have set our sights on even loftier goals. Our mission is to become carbon negative, meaning not only have we reduced carbon emissions to negligible levels, but we have offset more carbon than we contribute to the environment through techniques like avoidance, sequestration and carbon capture.

So, how does one go about achieving such a monumental task?

The first step is committing to power-based 100% on renewables like solar, wind and geothermal. One of the biggest criticisms leveled at the EV industry is the notion that we’re simply trading one environmentally harmful source for another – the vehicle for the power plant. And while it’s true that worldwide carbon negativity won’t be fully realized until renewables become mainstream replacements for fossil fuels, individual companies like EVCS can facilitate the trend by committing to use only renewable energy to power its network.

While making the commitment certainly is critical, executing is a whole different story. The current lack of widespread grids powered by renewables means we have to purchase our electricity from renewable energy producers through credit offsets, even as the actual power may still be flowing (for now) from a traditional power grid. While this comes with added costs, it also means we’re investing in companies that share our mission of a healthier planet and are integral in “greening” a key part of the energy supply chain.

This setup has many advantages. It allows us to essentially utilize 100% renewable energy for every charger in our network regardless of where it’s installed and retain top-notch fast-charging capabilities without the need for expensive and complex renewable energy generation systems. Moreover, once a network operator like EVCS receives accreditation from its governing body for using 100% renewable energy to power operations, it’s able to issue its own carbon credits, which can in turn be sold to offset the increased costs of purchasing renewable energy.

Bolstering our argument for the use of renewables to achieve carbon negativity are studied by numerous groups and organizations that have documented the benefits. While the total number of carbon offsets issued is relatively small worldwide (about 250 million tons worth were issued in 2020), the market is growing significantly as renewable energy sources grow, with nearly three times as many offsets issued in 2020 as in 2015, according to opentaps.org. Moreover, analysts with German bank Berenberg believe that current trends are leading to a global carbon offset market of some $200 billion by 2050.

On average, offset prices stand at about $4 per metric ton, which some fear are too low to provide companies with sufficient financial incentive to reduce emissions. However, a joint study published last year by University College London and Trove Research concluded, according to GreenBiz, that “the current surplus of carbon offset credits could be quickly eroded, with demand expected to increase fivefold or even tenfold over the next decade as companies seek to deliver on their net zero emissions pledges. As such, prices could rise to $50 per metric ton by 2030.”

All of this is to say that the momentum for achieving carbon negativity through the use of renewables is accelerating, with EVCS already serving as a key leader and motivator of the movement in the EV space. More importantly, none of these changes have adversely affected the quality, service and cost savings we offer our customers. Quite the contrary. Our expansion into viable new frontiers like this has allowed us the opportunity to demonstrate how high-quality/low-cost service and responsible, sustainable mobility can coexist perfectly.

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Installation of the Month (February 2021): Hollywood & Highland

In the movie Spider-man, Uncle Ben tells Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The phrase, which came to be known as the “Peter Parker Principle,” is just as true today as it was 20 years ago when the movie first premiered. And just as Peter took seriously his newfound powers, we take seriously our responsibility to facilitate broader access to vehicle electrification options – quite literally the “great power” here is the electricity that keeps EVs moving. We also understand the power of movies and television to convey the importance of electric mobility, be it through information, entertainment or influence marketing. As such, Hollywood has become a tremendous partner in advancing the EVCS mission.

Installation of the Month (January 2021): Barlow Respiratory Hospital

While 2021 brings hope and promise for greater widespread adoption of electric mobility, a quick glance at our portfolio reminds us of all the headway we’ve already made toward that end. Last year, we seized on positive customer sentiment and abundant fiscal opportunities in the green energy space, allowing us to become one of the top installers of EV charging infrastructure in the State of California (with 500+ installations completed and counting). As such, we thought it might be worthwhile to share some of these installations with you – a new success story each month – so that you can see firsthand the favorable strides we’re making toward a carbon-neutral future.

2020: A Year in Review

Two thousand twenty has been a year of undeniable adversity, but also one of remarkable achievement. A year of firsts and hopefully a few lasts. A time of toil and tribulation, but also of triumph. For genuine success is partly defined by our ability to hurdle those implacable obstacles that make the result so noteworthy in the first place. Now, as the EVCS team looks back on this unusual year, we take stock of our unique achievements that made 2020 one for the books.

Electrification Progress in the Age of COVID

It’s pretty clear that vaccine or no, COVID will be here for a while, and with it the new normal of face masks, social distancing, telecommuting and (consequently) less road travel. While some might view this with trepidation, we see it as an opportunity. Since the earliest weeks of the pandemic, major metro areas like Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago – those with large reductions in automobile traffic – immediately began seeing improvements in air quality, according to articles in the New York Times and Washington Post. More recent, an NPR story noted ozone pollution has decreased as much as 15% in many of these places. It seems an unintended consequence of the lockdown has been to accelerate the transition to responsible mobility by demonstrating its positive effects on the environment.

Commentary on Geotab’s 2020 EV Fleet Trends Article – Part II

Two weeks ago, we published part one of our commentary on Geotab’s in-depth article, “Electric Vehicle Trends 2020: Top 6 Factors Impacting Fleet Electrification” (https://www.geotab.com/white-paper/electric-vehicle-trends/). Again, the idea was to assess whether each of the trends were evolving as Geotab predicted and, if so, how EVCS was responding to them in the marketplace. Below are the final three trends referenced and our thoughts on each.