EV Connect, a leader of electric vehicle (EV), charging management solutions, announced recently that it had successfully commissioned two projects under a program with California’s largest electric utility. EV Connect was a vendor under the EV Fast Charge Program of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. EV Connect collaborated with the utility and multiple partners, including Gilbarco Veeder-Root (the world’s largest fueling and convenience store equipment and technology maker), to identify charging sites and place them. EV Connect will install more than 40 DCFC stations, including several high power DCFC stations with 180kW. Ten sites have been awarded across Northern California so far, and two sites have been activated.
EV Connect has installed eight Tritium 50kW DCFCs in the program between a United Park convenience shop in Chowchilla, CA and a SWS Fuel-managed convenience shop in Madera, CA. SWS Fuel’s store in Madera, CA was chosen due to its 24-hour operation, proximity to California State Route 99, and location in an economically disadvantaged area. EV Connect and SWS Fuel worked together to facilitate the project’s activation, taking advantage of the EV Fast Charge Program as well as the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Rebate. PG&E funded all infrastructure make-ready, including permit and design work. EV Connect installed the charging stations and activated them on the EV Connect platform. This will allow it to provide station connectivity and support for SWS Fuel.
Rajdeep Singh, Manager at SWS Fuel, stated that they were excited to join the program and collaborate with an industry leader like EV Connect in deploying charging stations throughout the state. This collaboration positions us to adopt EVs at a larger scale and supports our mission of creating a cleaner transportation future for California.
The California Public Utilities Commission approved funding of $22.4 million for PG&E in 2018 to expand public access to electric vehicle charging via the Fast Charge program. The program expects to deploy 200 DC fast chargers at eligible customer sites by 2025. The program will ensure that 25% of DCFCs are located in economically disadvantaged areas, with additional rebates available for program participants who qualify.
Ram Ambatipudi (Senior Vice President of Energy and Utilities, EV Connect) stated that EV Connect was pleased to partner with utilities like PG&E in the deployment of fast-charging stations within their service areas. We are pleased to be approved vendors in this program and look forward to contributing the expertise of our staff to the establishment of a public charging system that makes high-power charging available in underserved areas.
EV Connect will offer certified charging hardware, installation, and support resources as well as its industry-leading, open standards-based EV charging network management platform for the PG&E EV fast charge program participants. EV Connect program participants will be able to benefit from the company’s extensive project management expertise, joint marketing and compliance with utility requirements. Participants can choose from a variety of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) from many manufacturers. These can then be centrally managed with advanced charge station analytics via the EV Connect platform. In anticipation of more advanced grid management requirements such as Demand Response, the EV Connect platform is compliant with OpenADR standards.