Electric vehicle drivers traveling through California’s Central Valley now have more than 150 miles of State Highway 99 supported by fast-charging stations at three Love’s Travel Stops. The expansion is a result of a partnership between EV Connect and Trillium, Love’s alternative fuel business unit.
The California Electric Highway is a network of charging stations along Interstate 5, Highway 99, and other roads throughout California. The completion of the new charging stations expands California’s portion of the nearly 4,000-mile West Coast Electric Highway aimed at providing charging stations every 25 to 50 miles. The initiative is funded through incentives and grants from the California Energy Commission. Additionally, the three Love’s charging sites will feature rates of 50 or 150 kilowatts. The sites will be able to accommodate charging for up to four vehicles at one time. The new charging stations use EV Connect’s EV Cloud, an innovative cloud-based software platform for managing electric vehicle charging infrastructure. This includes DC fast chargers (DCFC) and level-2 chargers at Love’s stations in Ripon, Madera, and Tulare.
“We can now provide electric vehicle drivers the same safe and well-maintained travel stop services that we’ve provided to professional truck drivers and everyday motorists since 1964,” says Frank Love, co-CEO of Love’s. “We’re excited to welcome motorists along Route 99 and play a part in reducing emissions through our electric vehicle infrastructure.”
HOW IT WORKS
EV Connect provides a charging cloud platform to manage networks of charging stations, interaction with utilities, and driver experience improvement. EV Connect also offers network and site-owners options of charging stations in its Electric Vehicle Charge Station (EVCS) Certification Program. The EVCS Certification Program was the first of its kind in the industry. With network flexibility EV drivers can enjoy real-time access to the status of Love’s charging stations through EV Connect’s app.
“Love’s Travel Stops are a mainstay of the American road trip, and we are excited to help roll out charging locations on the nation’s highway system and bring long-distance mobility to electric vehicles,” says Jordan Ramer, founder, and CEO of EV Connect. “We are pleased to work with Trillium to deploy their DCFCs in strategic locations to fulfill part of EV Connect’s deployment program under the California Energy Commission grant program.”
Additionally, California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program provided funding support. The program invests in transportation and fuel technology innovation that helps California meet energy, clean air, and climate change goals. EV Connect will operate the charging stations, while Trillium will build the sites and provide ongoing management.
Find out more, visit www.evconnect.com or www.loves.com/trillium.
