The countdown clock in California is ticking — by 2035, the sale of gas-powered vehicles will be outlawed in the most populous state in America. Although there are about 700,000 electric vehicles crisscrossing the Golden State today, arriving at the ambitious goal of 5 million EVs in just 15 years is going to take serious investment—and the right partners.
Electric vehicle charging stations are already successfully popping up across major cities in CA. But in order to roll out millions of new EVs over the next decade and beyond, it’s going to require reaching out to all California drivers, as well as investing in programs like Charge Up LA, which is dedicated to seeding EV charging stations in underserved and disadvantaged communities across the city of Los Angeles.
With hundreds of thousands of dollars in EV charging station incentives and rebates available for investments in these underserved communities, it has never been a smarter time to start adapting your business or municipality to the fuel of the future.
Power to the People
EVs are already taking over California, and that’s no more apparent than in LA. Nice cars have always been an indelible part of the glitz and glamor of Hollywood — but if you take a drive down Rodeo Drive or Sunset Boulevard today, it’s plain to see that the gas-guzzling, fire-spitting supercars of years past have been replaced by ultra-quiet (and ultra-luxurious) EVs. It’s no longer about V12 under your hood, but the dozen or more batteries providing clean energy — and serious speed — to luxurious electric cars and SUVs. The new status symbol is, “I’m sustainable!”
The fact that these amazing vehicles have become a kind of status symbol for the rich and famous has paved the way for more and more electric vehicle charging stations, which continue to pop up in places like Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica. But the private sector makes decisions based on the market, and these enclaves of the elite are not representative of the whole of Los Angeles and neighborhoods that private money may avoid for financial reasons — leaving millions of Angelenos without access to this vital technology.
Connecting The Dots
As EV charging stations start to dot the map, navigating California in a battery-powered vehicle will shift from a curiosity to a reality for millions of people statewide. Thankfully, the state government is taking serious steps to make EVs equitable and attainable for everyone. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a brand-new investment of $384 million to be spent on closing the gap between wealthier and more disadvantaged communities. As much as the transition to EVs is going to be powered by automakers and the private sector, it is up to the government to help ensure that underserved communities aren’t left in the dust.
At EV Connect, we have always been committed to making electric vehicle charging stations easier to deploy, manage and maintain. We are equally proud of our focus on creating turnkey charging solutions for businesses of all sizes, as well as commercial and residential building management firms. The easier and more efficient it is for companies and consumers to adapt to EV charging technology, the more widespread these extremely important vehicles will become — and that helps benefit both the economy and the environment.
In conjunction with Charge Up LA’s next phase of investment, EV Connect is announcing a new Partner Program with Phillips & Temro Industries (PTI) to offer the LADWP Bundle, a turnkey solution that integrates PTI’s EVOCHARGE station with our advanced EV charging station management software. Open enrollment for these lucrative rebates and incentives begins October 30th, and the LADWP Bundle combines the best of EV Connect software and PTI hardware for easy deployment, unparalleled reliability, and 24/7 technical support as you or your business start impacting underserved communities across the Los Angeles area.
Community Service
To understand why investment in EV infrastructure is crucial for all Californians — not just those who can afford an electric vehicle and live near plenty of EV charging stations — it’s important to understand what defines disadvantaged communities. According to the public utilities commision, part of the burden these communities carry includes poverty, high unemployment, air and water pollution, and the presence of hazardous wastes. California, diverse in both its topography and among it’s nearly 40 million residents, is expansive. With so much land and so many people, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to helping every part of the state. A deft touch is required to serve communities that are underserved in different ways.
The CA Cityscape
In all major cities, there are neighborhoods that receive more funding — often due to higher property values and wealthier residents — and those that have been left behind. Studies show that lower income individuals are spending more and more time commuting to and from work. All that extra time driving not only negatively impacts quality of life, but produces more carbon emissions that may even offset the reductions seen from more EVs on the road.
Making EVs more affordable and incentivizing people to switch with tax credits and cash rebates is a great way to encourage people to trade in their older vehicles. But if there are no accessible electric vehicle charging stations near their home, it makes getting rid of their gas guzzler impractical or even impossible.
America’s Farmland
This issue is even more pronounced outside of California’s sprawling urban areas. The state economy is powered by an incredible, extensive farming industry that represents around 13% of America’s entire agricultural value. The vast diversity of farms in California range from strawberries and garlic to dairy farms, almond orchards, and acres of vineyards, but one thing these crucial communities have in common is their rural location. While electric vehicle charging stations multiply in metropolitan areas, communities outside cities find themselves cut off from the infrastructure needed to switch to EVs.
Farming requires a massive amount of vehicle use, from tractors to transportation, which produces a sizable share of carbon emissions statewide. That’s a lot of equipment belching out a lot of greenhouse gases, and plenty of employees driving long distances on rural roads to and from work in older vehicles that may not be up to date with California’s rapidly shifting emission standards. Getting to 5 million EVs means that electric vehicle charging stations need to be as accessible to growers and laborers in Fresno as they are to finance and tech workers in San Francisco, so that farmers already facing economic pressure from climate change and foreign competition can afford to make the switch to EV equipment.
Charging Up LA — and Beyond
Sustainability is made for California — from the beaches of San Diego to the deserts in the Coachella Valley to the mountains in Lake Tahoe to the forests in Muir Woods. It will also help safeguard the health and financial security of every CA citizen regardless of their profession. It will take people from every community to add up to 5 million EVs in just 15 years, and it’s up to both private enterprise and state and local governments to help build the infrastructure needed to achieve that goal.
Many municipalities have already done fantastic work switching public transportation fleets to all-electric, and startups focused on ride sharing and reducing the amount of vehicles on the road have permanently shifted the way we interact with our cars, SUVs and trucks. At EV Connect, we will always do our best to provide EV charging solutions for the communities where we live, work and drive.
Interested in the LADWP bundle? Check out our solution for LADWP business customers.
References:
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https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2020-10/cec-approves-384-million-plan-accelerate-zero-emission-transportation
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https://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/10/15/starting-with-low-income-communities-california-plans-to-jumpstart-transition-to-emission-free-vehicle-charging/
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https://www.utilitydive.com/news/electric-vehicle-firms-partner-to-ramp-up-charging-station-access-reliabil/587028/
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https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ca/soils/health/?cid=nrcseprd407886
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https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/transit-deserts-extreme-commuters-inequality/
