Why EVgo Names Our Fast Chargers

Why does EVgo name our chargers? Anyone who has tried an electric vehicle (EV) loves it – and at EVgo we’re making sure they love fast charging, too.

As the nation’s largest public fast charging network, EVgo is committed to providing reliable and convenient fast charging where people live and work through our nationwide network of 800+ EVgo charging stations. Whether you’re picking up your groceries at your local market, grabbing a take-out meal or coffee from a favorite haunt, or you’re a rideshare driver charging up quickly between passengers, you’ll find an EVgo fast charger with a personalized name ready to fast charge your EV.

‘Demarcus’ is in Richmond (VA), ‘Hector’ is in Schamburg (IL), ‘Sophia’ is in San Diego (CA), and ‘Orly’ is one of four new EVgo fast chargers that recently joined our network in Oakland (CA). Each of our more than 1400 fast chargers across America has a name.

I first came up with the idea to name our fast chargers in December of 2017, when I realized that if our drivers called into our customer support team, they had to refer to a charger by its unique 10-character serial code that was an utterly non-intuitive mix of letters and numbers (e.g. ‘ATLB415AC2’). Uggh. I knew there had to be a simpler way.

I also knew from liaising with our EV-driving customers that they often had favorite chargers that they would use frequently and speak of with a special fondness.

So, with the aim of continuing to support and enhance the EV driver experience, EVgo began naming our chargers – with ‘people’ names.

Over the past two years, the EVgo team has had a blast coming up with names for hundreds of EVgo fast chargers that we’ve deployed across the country. Many have personal stories. In fact, Oakland charger Orly is named after the 4 year-old daughter of EVgo’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Jonah Eidus. Orly once asked Jonah to tell her what it was they were driving past. When he said it was a gas station, and that while their family plugged their car in and used electricity to power it, other families used gas and had to visit the gas station to fill up, she replied by saying, “that’s silly!” We think so too, and we also think this kind of curiosity and vision warrants a fast charger named in Orly’s honor in her hometown of Oakland.

We’ve also invited EVgo customers to help through naming contests on our social media channels. For example, EVgo customers voted between a charger named after two of EVgo’s favorite naturalists: Lucille Clifton and Langston Hughes – Clifton was the top choice and will soon be joining our network.

Have you found your namesake fast charger in our EVgo network? Lots of folks have – we know that because they post selfies on social media (and we love that!). Make sure you tag us when you find your namesake charger – or the namesake of someone you love. [See below: Nancy LeMay with Washington Governor Jay Inslee and Nancy’s namesake EVgo fast charger located at the LeMay – America’s Car Museum, in Tacoma, WA]

EVgo is continuing to build – and name – fast chargers across our network. We’ll be more than tripling our number of public fast chargers over the next several years, so there’ll be abundant naming opportunities. Send us your ideas – on this and on other ways we can make the EV and EV charging experience top-notch.

Our individual driving actions are helping clean up the air and reduce the emissions causing climate change one commute or shopping trip at a time. Thanks for being part of the growing EVgo community.

Warm wishes,

Cathy