Miles driven by electric cars charged through the nation's largest network of stations doubled in 2017, according to the company that owns and manages them.
EVgo, which owns and runs 1,000 stations nationwide, said 2017 was a record year, with 40 million miles driven compared to 22 million the previous year. The company now promises to roll out charging speeds much faster than the average 25 minutes.
The company expects continued growth -- its number of charging stations increased by 20 percent and its number of charging sessions doubled to 1.1 million in 2017 -- as major automakers tap into the electric car market, focusing particularly on markets in major retail and metropolitan areas. Many EVgo stations are in these areas.
Terry O’Day, vice president of market development at EVgo, said the company is "setting the pace for growth."
"We are pleased to be bringing charging forward for more drivers, who are clearly valuing the charging as shown by the growth in utilization," O'Day told Mega Dealer News. "The company is continuing to grow and partner with states, utilities, property owners and retailers across the country."
In 2018, EVgo will deploy new high-power charging stations that are 3 to 7 times faster than today’s fast chargers in multiple cities in the U.S.
"Multiple new models are coming to market from the major OEMs in each of the next three years, attracting new drivers to the market," O'Day said. "At the same time, shared fleets are growing in popularity and beginning to build EVs into their growth strategies."
On top of reaching record numbers across the board, EVgo has completed several key projects in 2017 including the DRIVEtheARC corridor in Northern California, which connects the Monterey Peninsula, Bay Area, Sacramento and Lake Tahoe regions with charging stations along the route.
EVgo also released its app for iOS and Android platforms, which allows users to find their closest station and initiate a charge session from their device.
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