EVgo to Add 100's More Public DC Fast Chargers in California by the End of 2018

author: Eric Walz   

As electric vehicle sales continue to grow and automakers offer new fully-electric models, the number of EV charging locations is rapidly expanding, especially in California.

EVgo, which operates the largest public fast charging network in the U.S., announced that it has accelerated construction of EV chargers and will add hundreds more DC fast chargers this year in California alone. The state of California accounts for over half of all electric vehicle sales in the U.S.   

In California, the company is focusing on San Francisco and the Los Angeles metro areas that will more than double the amount of EV chargers. In the San Francisco Bay Area, EVgo's network will expand by 59 percent. In the LA Metropolitan Area where the company is based, EvGo will grow its fast charging network by 44 percent by year-end 2018. EVgo's DC fast chargers deliver a charging rate approximately eight times faster than conventional Level 2 charging and can charge a low battery to nearly 80 percent full within 30 minutes.

"EVgo's mission is to enable access to a better way to drive by building a reliable and convenient network of public fast chargers for electric vehicles," said Cathy Zoi, EVgo CEO. Before joining Evgo, Zoi was the former Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy.

"The next two years are critical for transportation electrification as automakers begin deliveries from the $100 billion they are investing to retool for EV manufacturing.  At EVgo, we are accelerating our development and construction processes so that by year-end we will deliver fast charger growth of 59 percent in the San Francisco Bay Area and 44 percent in our home town of Los Angeles, the two largest EV markets in the U.S."

EVgo calculates that its nationwide fast charging network, as of year-end 2018, will annually avoid more than 30,000 metric tons of CO2e and power more than 150 million miles of electric vehicle travel.  

In August, 2018, EVgo was awarded the first Volkswagen environmental mitigation settlement Appendix D grant by the Commonwealth of Virginia. As retribution for the dieselgate scandal, in which Volkswagen plead guilty to tampering with emission controls on its diesel engines sold in the U.S., the automaker has committed billions to build EV charging locations throughout the U.S and promote of adoption of zero emissions vehicles as part of its Electrify America initiative.

EVgo works closely with automobile manufacturing partners, retail partners and property owners who host fast charging in their parking lots and garages, as well as EV rideshare providers and fleet operators to plan EVgo's investment in fast charging infrastructure nationwide.

EVgo's fast chargers are compatible with all EV models currently on the market that accept DC Fast Charging. With more than 1,000 chargers in 66 metropolitan markets, EVgo's fast charging public network allows EV drivers to travel without the ‘range anxiety' of trying to find a place to charge their vehicle before running out of juice.

EVgo has more than 75,000 customers and provides more than 100,000 charges per month. By August 2018, EVgo's charging network provided the equivalent 42 million miles of emissions-free electric driving, surpassing its previous record for all of 2017.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.