Electrify America plans to showcase newly designed "customer-focused" charging stations in 2022 and 2023 at select flagship charging facilities in California and New York. Photo courtesy of Electrify America
March 24 (UPI) -- Electrify America announced Thursday plans to install new electric vehicle charging facilities across the country with a design based on customer feedback.
A highlight of the "customer-focused design," will be new solar-powered awnings to shield customers from the sun and inclement weather, according to a statement from the Virginia-based electric vehicle charging company that's a subsidiary of Volkswagen.
Electrify America said it has already installed solar awnings at its flagship charging stations in Baker and Santa Clara, Calif., and it is currently adding them to 400-500 individual chargers at 100 charging stations across the country, which will also help power these station's operations.
The new design is inspired by the surrounding communities, and will include customer lounge areas, on-site security cameras, and additional lighting to help provide a sense of security to people who charge at night, according to the company's statement.
Electric vehicle charging stations at select shopping locations may have additional offerings, such as valet charging and curbside delivery options, and some stations will also feature up to 20 ultra-fast DC chargers, the statement added.
The company also plans to expand battery energy storage systems to more than 150 stations to help manage the energy load and grid and capture excess solar energy where possible.
The next-generation charger will keep Electrify America's "iconic green glow," which customers recognize, and continue to stand at 8 feet tall, but will also feature a "recessed and brighter" screen to reduce glare from sunlight while viewing the charging progress, the company noted. It will also feature a single connector cable to ease the effort to plug in the cable regardless of where the charging port is on the customer's electric vehicle.
The company plans to showcase the the newly designed charging stations throughout this year and next year in select new flagship facilities in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Diego, and Beverly Hills, Calif., and in Manhattan and Brooklyn, N.Y.
"Electrify America will be reinventing the look and feel at many of our charging stations to meet and exceed the expectations of customers moving from a gas-powered vehicle to an electric lifestyle," Electrify America President and CEO Giovanni Palazzo said in a statement. "These new designs will help elevate the charging experience for our customers, building on the foundation of our ultra-fast and reliable coast-to-coast network."
The Verge previously reported that the EV charging experience in the United States has been fragmented in recent years, especially for non-Tesla owners.
The Biden administration announced plans last month to build a national network of EV charging stations with $5 billion in federal funds from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending package that Congress passed last year.