Update: EVgo station in LA
OK, here’s an update on the EVgo “Walking Dead” station Robertson Blvd in Los Angeles! Progress!
You may remember our post on this site earlier this year, and I’ve been carping about this for months. A really nice EVgo station with like 9 charging bays, sitting there behind a construction fence and tarp. Never commissioned! Weeds growing up taller than the Delta dispensers. It was maddening because not only is the station the biggest and EVgo station I’ve ever seen, but it is in a perfect location; just blocks south of the I-10, a critical east-west artery in the Los Angeles metroplex.
After a lot of complaining from me, I was happy to see that a few weeks ago EVgo actually cut the huge weeds that made the station a loud visual reminder of California’s awful failure at putting Federal NEVI funding to work.
But soon, I hope, all will be forgiven. The green tarps are down, the weeds are cut and hope returns! It looks to me like commissioning is next and the station will be up and running. To be fair, after a lot, I mean a lot, of prodding EVgo had a spokesman reach out to me and essentially blame Los Angeles’ maze of city, county and overlapping regulatory agencies and power utilities for the massive delay. Not surprising, I’m sad to say. The Golden State is a funny beast: along with Colorado we lead the country in EV adoption (well over 20% of new car sales) but we are a clown car when it comes to permitting any kind of construction or (needed) development. Ask housing advocates, who are deeply frustrated by our lack of housing construction. The Chinese can literally build a new mid size city in the time it took those weeds to overgrow a model EVgo station. But for now, let’s take the win. A Christmas Miracle may finally be coming to Robertson Blvd by the 10 freeway. Drivers in that part of Los Angeles (lots of EVs, lots of multi-family buildings) will be very happy when it opens. A recent, no weeds Ma!, picture attached.
One other happy L.A. fast charging note. One start up that knows how to do charging right is Rove. (No relation, though I plan to pitch Karl on an EV next time I see him.). They have their model station up in Santa Ana in Orange County and it’s wonderful. Canopies, a car wash, lounge, and even a very nice Gelson’s market. They are building ten more such stations around California and they will be very popular. I hope it works commercially; fast charging is a tough business but the Rove folks are clever (using massive battery assist to peak shave and avoid the deadly margin-killing surge charges from the utilities so they can make reasonable profit on each charge) and by renting commercial space to Gelson’s market and a large Tesla charging farm integrated into their facility. The Rove folks claim it’s been operating profitably since they opened which is great news. I’m looking forward to more Rove stations here in CA as well as the stations Ionna are starting to build, also with high level of needed amenities.