Volkswagen subsidiary Electrify America LLC announced today that it will install more than 2,800 workplace and residential charging stations by June 2019 in 17 of the biggest metropolitan areas in the United States. The initiative is part of Electrify America’s $2 billion investment in electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and education in the United States over the next 10 years.

The 2,800 Level 2 charging stations will be located at approximately 500 sites, all with more than one charging station. Level 2 charging will provide for a charging speed up to 20-25 miles of driving range per hour1, which would allow drivers to fully charge their electric vehicles at their home or workplace.

“One of the biggest barriers to the mass-market adoption of electric vehicles is access to chargers,” said Mark McNabb, CEO of Electrify America. “Having chargers where people work – and live – will help them see that an electric vehicle can be their primary vehicle because charging is convenient and reliable at the places where they spend time.”

Approximately 75% of the new charging station sites will be located at workplaces, with the remainder at apartment buildings, condominiums and other multi-family properties. This aligns with one of the goals for the Electrify America program which is to increase charging infrastructure at the workplace, the second most likely place a vehicle spends time parked. Employees with chargers at their workplace are six times more likely to drive a plug-in electric vehicle than the average worker, and chargers located at the workplace can potentially double an electric vehicle owner’s daily driving range.

Joining Electrify America in this initiative are SemaConnect, EV Connect and Greenlots. These electric vehicle charging station industry leaders will work with property developers, office space facility managers and other real estate site hosts to install, operate and maintain charging stations, providing a unique benefit to workplace and residential property owners. The companies have committed to install 35% of all multi-family and workplace sites in California in designated low-income or disadvantaged community areas. Chargers installed under this program will be interoperable with the Electrify America charging network.

Workplace and multi-unit dwelling charging stations will be installed in six California metropolitan areas – Fresno, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose –as well as in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, Raleigh, Seattle and Washington, DC.

About Electrify America
Electrify America LLC, which is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, will invest $2 billion over the next 10 years in Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure and awareness. The investment will enable millions of Americans to discover the benefits of electric driving and support the buildout of a nationwide network of workplace, community and highway chargers that are convenient and reliable.

Credit: Electrify America LLC