EVgo, the nation’s largest public network of electric vehicle DC Fast charging stations, experienced a record year in 2017. Its network of chargers provided 40 million miles of emissions-free electric driving, a dramatic year-over-year increase compared to the 22 million EV miles charged in 2016.
As electric vehicle adoption continues to grow and more models from major automakers come to market, EVgo’s network of conveniently located DC fast charging stations in major retail and metropolitan areas, help EV drivers stay charged while going about their daily routines.
The Evgo network saw strong expansion in 2017, increasing by 20%, and now has over 1,000 DC fast chargers across 66 markets nationwide. Network usage set a record with 1.1 million charging sessions, an increase of 50% over 2016, equal to 28 million minutes of DC fast charging, an average of 25 minutes per session. December 2017 also set a record for the highest number of minutes charged in a single month on the network, demonstrating the continued increase in demand for convenient, public fast charging solutions. EVgo expects these trends to continue as more long range electric vehicle options come to market, and deliveries strengthen for EV’s such as the Chevy Bolt, 2018 Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model 3.
EVgo sees a clear trend of increasing demand for public fast charging, as evidenced by an 83 percent increase in energy delivered to drivers on its network in 2017. This trend outpaces EV sales growth in the US, which were up 26 percent year-over-year. A key area of growth for EVgo came from new partnerships with zero emissions fleet and rideshare programs, accounting for 10 percent of energy delivered to drivers on the network.
EVgo delivered 13 million kilowatt hours on the network, a figure that equates to a dramatic 1.6 million gallons of gasoline saved, corresponding to 9,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions which would have otherwise polluted the environment.
On top of reaching record numbers across the board, EVgo has completed several key projects in 2017 including the DRIVEtheARC corridor in Northern California (connecting the Monterey Peninsula, Bay Area, Sacramento, and Lake Tahoe regions) allowing EV drivers to easily travel from surf to ski emissions-free on one convenient charging route.
DRIVEtheARC is the result of a collaborative effort between the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan’slargest public energy R&D management organization, and the State of California’s Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, Nissan Motor Co., Nissan North America, Kanematsu and EVgo.
EVgo also released its own app for iOS and Android platforms designed to facilitate convenient fast charging, allowing users to find their closest station and initiate a charge session from their device, all with the swipe of a finger. In addition, EVgo moved its headquarters to Los Angeles and increased its staff significantly, as the company continues to grow and expand its network, with a continued focus on customer service.
“2017 was an extremely successful year for EVgo, and not only did we add the 1,000th charger to our network, but we also delivered more fast charging power to EV drivers than ever before, with a resulting impact of 1.6 million gallons of gasoline saved,” said Cathy Zoi, EVgo’s CEO. “We are extremely pleased to see such rapid growth not only of our network, but also of EV sales across the board, and we are proud to be at the center of this rapid change toward a more electrified world.”