Top 10 Reasons Why California Needs EVCS

Everyone loves top 10 lists, right? After all, David Letterman made them a perennial staple of his popular late-night program for years until they eventually became one of the most anticipated segments of each episode. Not only were they hysterically funny, but they featured just enough truth that the viewer was able to make a connection with reality. Quite often, these lists were also centered around an important and topical subject. And what’s more topical right now than sustainable energy? Or protecting our environment? So, in the spirit of David Letterman, we thought we’d present the top 10 reasons why the state of California needs EVCS.

10. Climate change has created so many wildfires across the region, the Grumman S-2T tanker plane has been renamed California’s official state bird.

9. With gas prices consistently inching up to ever higher levels, it’s now cheaper just to ship your car wherever you’re going than to drive it there.

8. Gavin Newsom thinks we should all be driving electric cars by 2035. And seriously, how could anyone with a coif that pretty possibly be wrong?

7. Rolling black-outs have Californians sitting in their darkened homes tweeting nostalgically about the days when they could actually see all the damage caused by local rioters and earthquakes. Clearly a plea for someone to bring us back to normal! #goodolddays #shoreupthegrid

6. Think how fast everyone could get where they were going if they could ALL use the HOV lane!

5. California drivers stop to text at greenlights, but frantically run reds. Hmmm… Just imagine if they could kick back with a cappuccino, relax and get all of those urgent texts out of the way while their EVs charged. Two birds, one stone!

4. The CEC issued a report saying gas prices had gotten so bad in cities like Los Angeles, people were actually out walking.

3. EVs in every home means no one will die from sitting in their garage with the car turned on.

2. Saying “charge it” won’t mean paying 26% in interest to AMEX anymore.

1. We already give up 70% of our earnings to cover income taxes, property taxes, wealth taxes, excise taxes, social security, Medicare, Medicaid, disability, unemployment, health insurance, life insurance, car insurance, union dues, mortgage payments, car payments, childcare, utility bills, HOA fees and DMV registration fees. Now we can stop giving the remaining 30% to the gas stations.

Okay, so we’re not the writing team at the Late Show, but you have to admit there are at least a few compelling reasons in the bunch to advocate for greater EV infrastructure. Because at the end of the day, our mission is to better the lives of Californians (and eventually all Americans) by creating a safer, cleaner, healthier environment through responsible mobility. And that’s no laughing matter.

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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.