Electrify America
In preparation to lead Electrify America as president and CEO on June 1, Robert Barrosa, vice president of technology, President & CEO-Elect took a coast-to-coast road trip charging only at Electrify America charging stations.
Robert has a long history with Electrify America, electric vehicles, and the electric vehicle (EV) charging industry, but he wanted to embark on a seven-day cross-country EV road trip to further immerse himself with the on-the-ground operations of the company’s vast charging network. The road trip also coincides with the five-year anniversary of Electrify America’s first charging station.
Exploring first-hand what drivers experience across the U.S. when traveling in an EV, Robert traveled a total of almost 2,800 miles in a Hyundai IONIQ 5 from March 31 – April 6 from Los Angeles, CA to Electrify America’s headquarters in Reston, Virginia stopping at 28 Electrify America charging stations in 13 states along the way.“
This was an important trip for me for several reasons,” says Barrosa. “I wanted first-hand experience charging in many locations and to talk to customers to get real time insights. Through rain and sunshine, daytime and nighttime, my charging experiences across the country were generally seamless. With customer experience remaining a top priority, we will be focused on continuous improvements.”
In May 2018, Electrify America’s first charging station opened in Chicopee, MA with 350 kW chargers. Since then, the company has expanded its footprint into 46 states and the District of Columbia while investing in EV education, workforce development programs and equitable charging access. The company has opened an average of three new charging stations per week, totaling more than 800 stations and over 3,500 chargers installed.
“We’re at a pivotal moment five years in,” says Barrosa. “As adoption of electric vehicles grows, Electrify America needs to continue to lead the way for charging infrastructure to scale in parallel. We have come a very long way in educating consumers and building range confidence through our coast-to-coast network of DC fast chargers. I’m looking forward to leading Electrify America into the future.”