By Margaret-Ann Leavitt

Widely viewed as the nation’s largest and most experienced EV charging station reseller and installer, the Denver-based National Car Charging (NCC) announced this week they are continuing to expand, growing their talent pool by three. The newest members of the team, Kamala Vanderkolk, Blaise Hirayama and Jim Anani, are joining the company’s already robust sales team and bringing with them vast experience in automotive, sales and sustainability advocacy.

“With our tremendous growth in 2022 and the anticipated year ahead, we felt it was critical to continue to build out our team so we can best service our clients and meet the exponentially growing demand for EV infrastructure,” stated Jim Burness, the founder and CEO of National Car Charging who started the business in 2011 with the foresight of where the future was going.

By Margaret-Ann Leavitt, CMO at National Car Charging & Aloha Charge

Car commercials have long been a mainstay of Super Bowl advertising. Cars, snacks and beer usually dominate during the big game. So why in 2023, were so many automakers watching from the sidelines?

The hefty price tag. In the decade where every automaker is investing in shifting from gas to electric powertrains, the $7 million for 30 seconds price tag is likely a contributing factor. And that’s the just price of entry, just for the air time nevermind hiring a single spokesperson (I see you Will Ferrell) or an ad shop to infuse their stopping power creative genius.

In truth, car sales were remarkably down in 2022 to a decade low. Let me rephrase that: ICE (internal combustion engine) or gas car sales were the lowest since 2012. But wait for it - electric car sales reached an all time high.

By RJ Harrington, SVP of Business Development at National Car Charging

In the fall of 2022, CU Boulder kicked off their comprehensive Climate Action Plan and laid out a path for mitigating climate change by fully examining all campus operations and procurement with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving total operational carbon neutrality no later than 2050.

In addition to bringing electric fueling to their parking lots, the University’s Transportation Services team launched an aggressive electrification initiative from light to heavy duty vehicles just prior to the pandemic. Ten of fifty+ University’s Level-2 charging plugs are reserved specifically for this burgeoning campus fleet that is gradually shifting from fossil fuels to electricity.

By Jim Burness, CEO and Founder at National Car Charging

A new grocery store in my neighborhood is nearing completion, and while I’m excited to check it out, I was disheartened to see the “wrong style” of EV charging station installed. They broke the age-old rule of “choosing the right tool for the job.” Six Level-2 (6.6-kilowatt (kW)) ports were put in right near the store’s entrance when it ought to have been a DC Fast Charger, ideally a 50kW to 60kW unit.

A Level-2 station will provide roughly 20 miles of range in an hour, while a 60kW DC unit is about 10 times more powerful - a much bigger draw to shoppers than a Level-2 unit. Our data reveals two-thirds of drivers using a 50-60kW DC Fast Charger typically spend an hour or less charging. Similarly, the average grocery store visit is about 42 minutes - so it’s pretty close to an ideal match.

By Amy Mullet & Javier Gomez, Business Development Leads at National Car Charging

Over the past two years, Thanksgiving weekend just wasn’t the same without the LA Auto Show. Thankfully, this year it was back just in time to celebrate its 115th anniversary and it didn’t disappoint!

As expected, electric vehicles (EVs) were front and center. With EV adoption growing around the world and with organizations like the International Energy Agency predicting EVs to top 300 million shortly after 2040, almost every automaker in attendance was showing off their portfolio of electric cars and innovation prowess.

Electric vehicles are actually great cars for winter driving. This is because the weight is dispersed more evenly on the bottom of the vehicle, allowing for better handling and making them harder to flip. Additionally, many EVs have dual motors on the front and back axels, making for better maneuverability.

The only time EVs really struggle is on steep inclines or in very deep snow, something that all non-4WD vehicles experience. Putting winter tires on your EV or carrying snow chains, as you would for an internal combustion vehicle, helps tremendously.

As more EV chargers are added to the national charging network, customers are experiencing increased complexities over how to access the power. The adage, “there’s an app for that,” comes into play here but the good news is you don’t always NEED an app for that.

First, I want to note that 90 percent of charging happens at home. When you charge on your 110-V outlet or your 240-V home Level 2 charger, you will be billed directly through your utility. Some utilities now offer specialized EV Charging programs with dedicated circuits that will clearly designate your EV charging costs from other electricity costs. Talk to your local utility about these options today!

When you purchase insurance for your new electric vehicle, you may notice that your premium increases. We’ve had a few questions in recent weeks from Coloradans considering EVs about why that is.

Let me state it now: your car insurance does not increase when you own an EV because your car is in any way less safe or less reliable compared to your older gas model car.

Rather, the insurance costs increase because EVs are still a fledging industry and are more expensive to manufacture compared to internal combustion engines. This means that the cost to repair your electric vehicle after a collision or other accident is comparably more. EVs house expensive battery systems, which can require rare materials or equipment design to fix.

By Bill Blomberg, Service Director at National Car Charging.

Even though the world is moving ever more quickly to widespread, soon-to-be majority, EV adoption, there remains a stubborn clique that will grasp at any and every straw to denigrate, nay-say, and belittle all things EV.

A favorite talking point power concerns the demand EVs bring to the grid, and how it will cause a permanent state of rolling blackouts. Not only is this false, the very opposite is true. In fact, widespread EV adoption will stabilize the grid and make it decidedly more efficient than it is at present. What’s more, it will do this all the while facilitating the expansion of clean, Made-in-the-USA wind power.

With the electric vehicle market increasing in popularity, the cost of EVs is dropping much faster than expected. However, the upfront cost of buying an EV is still a barrier for many drivers. Luckily, there are several programs and strategies available that can make owning an EV less of a financial burden and help drivers contribute to clean air without breaking the bank.

Yes, of course, you can! Road trips in an electric vehicle are definitely doable.

Road trips in an electric vehicle are really quite similar to those in a gas-powered car. There are a few considerations to take into account before you start your road trip, but knowing that you’re driving without any tailpipe emissions is a huge benefit.

In actuality, widespread growth of EVs will make our grid more efficient and will drive down rates for all customers. Below is a graphic depicting the “Virtuous Cycle of Utility EV Investments” which outlines how an increase in EVs will lead to increased electricity demand (and sales) during off-peak hours, which allows for better utilization of the grid. This means that revenues will outpace costs, which will bounce back to the consumers by allowing the utility to decrease the rate of electricity and lower electric bills for all ratepayers.

This is difficult to determine with the used electric car market being so new, but evidence does not show that most electric vehicles (EVs) have significantly faster depreciation or lower resale prices. Certain models, such as those from Tesla, seem to hold their value well while other EVs depreciate much faster than ICE vehicles. As the quality of these other models improve and there is a wider adoption, depreciation levels will likely become comparable.

Just as it’s true that your gas car can catch fire, it is true that an electric vehicle (EV) can catch fire. However, EVs are some of the top-rated cars for safety and are less likely to catch fire compared to gas cars.

According to an investigation by Battelle for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “The propensity and severity of fires and explosions from … lithium-ion battery systems are anticipated to be somewhat comparable to or perhaps slightly less than those for gasoline or diesel vehicular fuels…”.

The truth is, there are many EV models that come with AWD and towing capacity with more coming out soon. As technology improves, electric vehicles will have fewer limitations and will be more comparable to internal combustion cars. Several manufacturers have been increasing the capabilities of their EVs to accomplish incredible things, including Rivian and Ford.

Emmy-winning songwriter and YouTube sensation Parry Gripp and the nation's leading privately-held distributor and installer of EV charging equipment National Car Charging have teamed up on a new song all about electric cars, and are charging up the internet with Charge It Up Up Up Up Up!

The song came to be after Jim Burness, the CEO of National Car Charging, bid on the opportunity to work with Parry as part of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s Beastly Ball Silent Auction. “My daughter and I are long-term fans of Parry’s. I mean, how could you not be? His songs are irresistibly catchy and fun, and all of the kids I know love them,” Burness shared.

Myth: Exposure to the electromagnetic fields of the battery in an electric vehicle could cause cancer. =

Myth BUSTED: The magnetic fields in electric vehicles pose no danger because their electromagnetic field levels are below the recommended standards.

The European Union (EU) recently announced they are taking a bold, unprecedented move and will join California in ending the production and sale of new internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2035 – putting one of the last nails in the coffin of 19th-century transportation technology. Although the US, Japan, and China are not nearly as aggressive, they do have tentative targets within the decade beyond the EU’s goal. Adding credibility, Darren Woods, Exxon Mobil’s CEO, stated he believes 2040 is now the date when all new vehicles will be 100% electric.

These developments, coupled with technology improvements and EV adoption penetration running strongly ahead of even very recent expectations, means there is little doubt the ICE age will be soon over in roughly 13 years - that sounds a lot sooner than saying “2035” but they are one in the same. But will it last even that long? Probably not.

Myth 1: You can’t drive an EV in the rain / You can’t get your EV wet

Myth 2: You can’t drive an EV through a puddle

Myth 3: You can’t charge your EV in the rain

Myth BUSTED: EVs are safe to drive through water and hold no threat of electric shock when wet due to battery insulation. Charging in the rain is safe and holds no threat of short-circuiting, sparks, or other dangers.

In 2018, University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute found the cost to fuel an electric car was 60% less than a gas-powered car (on average $485 for an EV vs. $1,117 for a gas vehicle), and a 2020 Consumer Reports study concurred – making driving an EV a very realistic and viable option for those either on a budget or wanting to do better by the planet, or both. While the Biden administration rolled out a plan earlier this year earmarking $5 billion to fund electric vehicle chargers over the next five years, the reality is that 80% of all EV charging happens at home – so what about those renters or even condo owners who don’t have a driveway?