blink charging
The project consists of 44 existing charging station upgrades and the addition of three new stations in Oregon along Highway 101 and Interstate 5, affecting about 100 EV charging spaces. The Oregon upgrades are mostly funded by a $4 million grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).
"Our goal is to create the most reliable and accessible EV charging infrastructure in the nation," EVCS CEO Gustavo Occhiuzzo said in a statement Wednesday. "EVCS's collaboration with ODOT to upgrade the West Coast Electric Highway will help increase driver confidence in going electric as we seek to combat climate change through our sustainable charging stations."
The Oregon station upgrades will include new hardware for the Level 2 chargers and will add 110-volt, household-style outlets for e-bikes and e-scooters. Higher-power DC Fast Charging stations will incorporate Combined Charging System (CCS) capability — used by most newer EVs — as well as existing CHAdeMO-type chargers that cars like the Nissan Leaf use. An adapter for Tesla cars will also be added at each station.
With fast charging, most compatible EVs can have the battery pack replenished in 30 to 40 minutes.
Opened in 2011, the West Coast Electric Highway project is a public-private network of charging stations developed out of the 2008 Alternative Fuels Corridor Project between California, Oregon and Washington, as well as an independent agreement with British Columbia and Washington. It spans more than 1,300 miles stretching from the Mexico border through British Columbia, along the 101, the 5, and Highway 99 with thousands of Level 2 and DC fast chargers dotted along those roads.
EVCS, which was founded in 2018, also owns and operates the Washington state portion of the electric highway.
Courtesy EVCS
Upgrades to the network began last year with the goal of providing as much as 100-kilowatts of charging power at certain stations to meet the needs of more powerful EVs with larger battery packs.
Locally, EVCS partnered with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation in 2019 to install charging stations in 57 city parking lots. As of May, the project was about 30% complete, with the addition of four DC fast-charging stations in Lot 656 near the 405 and 10 freeways in West L.A.
This story has been updated.
Detroit-based GM said on Wednesday its network will encompass almost 60,000 EV chargers nationwide, many run by private companies that can be located and paid for through its apps.
"The financial support GM is providing to EVgo has accelerated our station deployment plans in 40 metropolitan areas across the U.S.," EVgo CEO Cathy Zoi said in a statement. "By year-end, EVgo expects to have approximately 500 stalls from the GM/ EVgo collaboration live, and we are just getting started."
GM and EVgo partnered last year to add 2,700 fast-charging stations across the United States by 2025. That has so far produced just four stations, none in Southern California.
EVgo joins Blink Charging, ChargePoint, El Segundo-based EV Connect, FLO, Greenlots and SemaConnect in the Ultium Charge 360 program. While Tesla has its Supercharger network and the Volkswagen Group of America runs Electrify America — in part, as a result of its emissions cheating settlement — GM and Ford are relying on collaborations with third-party charging companies to build out their national network for electric cars.
"As we launch 30 EVs globally by the end of 2025, this collaboration is expected to help create consumer confidence and excitement about the EV future," said Travis Hester, GM's chief EV officer, in today's announcements. "These new stations are the first of many to come, as we work together with EVgo to offer EV owners more options for charging."
The Ultium Charge 360 program also includes assistance for customers interested in home charging systems. It will cover the installation of a Level 2 home charger with the purchase or lease of a 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV or Bolt EUV through a deal with Irvine-based Qmerit.
GM announced earlier this year its intent to drop gasoline-powered vehicles and become a carbon-neutral company by 2040. Its luxury Cadillac division will go completely electric by 2030, starting with the Lyriq SUV that goes on sale next year.
GM is also planning to release their GMC Hummer EV pickup truck and SUV, along with a Chevrolet Silverado electric truck. GM will also supply the basis for two electric SUVs to Torrance-based American Honda Motor Co. starting in 2024.
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