90 New EV Chargers To Be Installed In Los Angeles

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There has been some great news about EV chargers in California recently. In San Diego, 750 to 800 new EV chargers will be installed, and in Long Beach 20 were just installed. Now comes the news of 90 public curbside chargers being installed too. That makes 860 or more.

The City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) selected the electric vehicle curbside charging company it’s electric to install 90 new chargers, a project that will be completed within the next year.

The first will be installed this year in the following Koreatown locations:

• 473 West 1st Street, between S Western Ave and Oxford Ave.
• 625 South Harvard Blvd, between 6th St and Wilshire Blvd.
• 615 South Virgil Ave, between 6th St and Wilshire Blvd.

The 90 new chargers will be Level 2 and situated at curbside locations — they will be available 24/7. Not all EV owners have single family homes with their own home chargers and many apartment and condo complexes don’t have their own EV chargers yet. So, installing curbside Level 2 chargers makes sense for the EV drivers in those areas who can charge overnight, if needed.

“Los Angeles continues to be at the forefront of policies and solutions that enable EV charging infrastructure for all. Working with LA to build new solutions to meet the state’s goals of expanding the most extensive public charging network in the country has been among our most meaningful work to date,” said Karen Coronel, Sr. Manager for Special Initiatives at it’s electric.

EV adoption is supported by the availability of adequate public charging infrastructure so every new charger helps. EV purchasing and leasing incentives support adoption too and California still has some. Another important EV adoption factor is affordability and there are multiple affordable electric vehicles available.

Los Angeles has some of the most harmful air pollution in the country. While many might not be aware of how damaging it can be, air pollution is actually that detrimental. “A recent study by the California Air Resources Board estimated that particulate pollution causes over 9,000 deaths in California annually.”

Ozone levels in LA tend to be high or very high too. “Exposure to ozone inflames the linings of the lungs and damages lung function. It can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation and congestion, as well as aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Repeated and prolonged exposure to high levels of ground-level ozone may permanently damage lung tissue.”

Particulate matter and zone are just two harmful pollutants. There are others, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds. This article is not about every harmful pollutant generated by internal combustion engine vehicles burning gas or diesel. The harm caused by ICE exhaust is worth mentioning because electric vehicles don’t directly generate toxic air pollution — internal combustion engine vehicles do.

Replacing gas and diesel vehicles with fully electric vehicles can help reduce toxic air pollution to help humans in urban areas be healthier.