Charge Ready: Looking Back on a Successful EV Charging Program
It’s never been a better time to make the switch to electric. Federal, state and local programs across the country provide businesses with a wealth of tax rebates, incentives and offers to help offset the costs of installing electric vehicle charging stations. EV Connect works in tandem with these funding programs to provide the software and support that makes installing and operating your EV charging stations efficient from day one.
Southern California Edison, a major utility provider in the SoCal region, launched their SCE Charge Ready program in 2020 to incentivize local businesses and municipalities to install charging stations and make the move to electric vehicles. Through Charge Ready funding, EV Connect helped major entities install more than 300 charging ports in that first wave of Charge Ready alone, including 46 ports for the City of Ontario in California and 38 for the Marriott Palm Desert Springs Villa. We also partnered with the Panda Restaurant Group to electrify the parking lots at their office headquarters.
Powerful Partnership
The Panda Restaurant Group (PRG) owns and operates more than 2,000 fast food restaurant locations in the United States, employing over 38,000 people with annual revenues in excess of $3 billion. Beyond their cuisine, the company is known for taking a proactive approach to issues of sustainability and employee welfare, including initiatives to limit waste by recycling employee uniforms and creating their own Innovation Kitchen to test new cooking methods designed to reduce gas and water consumption at all locations.
In fact, PRG was an early adaptor to EV charging — the company installed electric vehicle chargers at their national headquarters back in 2010 to help support its corporate fleet. In an effort to augment their EV capabilities, PRG took advantage of SoCal Edison’s Charge Ready program’s significant rebates to add an additional 30 charging stations to their corporate campus.
But infrastructure is only the beginning. PRG needed a partner to help them navigate the world of EV charging hardware, and they needed a reliable charging station management software solution that would help their new system run as cleanly and efficiently as possible.
The Right Connection
As an SCE Charge Ready program preferred partner, EV Connect was perfectly positioned to help Panda Restaurant Group accomplish all of their EV charging goals. EV Connect worked closely with PRG before recommending a group of dual-port charging stations that could be managed through the company’s platform. This synergy enabled EV Connect to create a unique pricing structure for employees, visitors and PRG’s corporate fleet that would not only help benefit the planet but also PRG employees themselves.
PRG associates were pleasantly surprised to learn they could use an app to access charging beyond the corporate campus. Moreover, all charging fees are passed directly to the Panda Associates Assistance Fund (PAAF), a significant arm of PRG’s philanthropic efforts that helps provide employees with direct monetary support for financial hardships due to sudden crises, illnesses and emergencies beyond their means.
By The Numbers
EV Connect has helped Panda Restaurant Group make a huge impact on the company and the environment. PRG has seen a massive 452% surge in charge sessions, an increase of over 1 million minutes of charging. All that electricity has powered nearly 260,000 miles worth of emissions-free driving — saving more than 6,200 gallons of gasoline and preventing the release of a staggering 55,000 kilograms of greenhouse gases.
Are You Ready?
As an approved vendor, EV Connect is ready to prepare your business for the application process, helping you choose the right hardware and navigate installation, before providing an EV charging management solution that will help you make the most of your brand-new EV capabilities. Contact EV Connect and start fueling for the future.