Ava Community Energy Scales Public EV Charging Access Across Northern California with Calibrant Energy

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Apr 18, 2024, 11:00 ET

With the new partnership, Ava will manage over 100 public direct-current (DC) fast-chargers at 11 sites across its service territory

OAKLAND, Calif., April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ava Community Energy (Ava), one of the nation's top clean energy providers, announced today its plans to expand access to public EV charging stations across its service territory. As part of the energy provider's new partnership with Calibrant Energy (a joint venture between Macquarie and Siemens Financial Services), Ava will deploy 86 public direct-current fast-chargers (DCFC) across 11 sites in six cities. Ava's partnership with Calibrant comes on the heels of the provider's 2023 partnership with EV Realty, which will build 32 additional chargers in downtown Oakland, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to driving access to electric mobility resources and infrastructure across Northern California.

"The partnership between Calibrant Energy and Ava is another step closer to making the energy transition more achievable. As demand grows, this is an exciting time for EVs, and collaborations like this will ensure success. Calibrant is proud to support Ava's commitment to lowering the barriers consumers may face with EVs and charging stations," says Matt Walz, CEO at Calibrant Energy.

To help expedite California's goals for decarbonized transportation, Ava is proactively taking innovative steps to scale the adoption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). Through a first-of-its-kind procurement approach that mirrors power purchase agreements (PPAs) traditionally used for wind, solar and battery storage projects, Ava is utilizing an energy tolling agreement structure to finance its EV charging network, paying a monthly fixed, capacity-based fee to deploy Ava charging stations across its service territory.

Ava's partners Calibrant Energy and EV Realty will help develop up to the first 11 fast-charging hubs of Ava's DC fast-charging network, which will be located across Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton and San Leandro. Ava's DC fast-chargers will be powered using its Renewable 100 service – which is certified by the California Air Resource Board (CARB) as a zero carbon intensity (CI) transportation fuel – and will be available to the public twenty-four-seven. The charging partnership with Calibrant Energy is slated to come online in 2025, and Ava's EV Realty partnership plans to see project completion by the end of 2024. Ava plans to continue building publicly available fast chargers to give residents access to affordable electric vehicle charging.

To help bridge the gap to widespread, reliable and affordable charging infrastructure for underserved communities, Ava will locate all EV fast-charging sites in publicly accessible municipal parking lots, garages and right-of-way parking spaces near "multifamily hotspots" – areas with dense concentrations of renters, who make up nearly 50 percent of Ava's customers. Additionally, each charging station will be located in proximity to local businesses and services for increased convenience.

"It is a critical time to make sure we are supporting the adoption of EVs," said Nick Chaset, CEO at Ava Community Energy. "While people are talking about scaling zero-emission transportation, we are putting steel in the ground to deploy the projects that will positively move the needle on our collective energy future."

About Ava Community Energy (Ava)
Ava Community Energy (Ava), formerly East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), is the not-for-profit public power provider for more than 1.7 million residents and commercial customers in Alameda County and the City of Tracy, with service extending to the additional San Joaquin County cities of Stockton and Lathrop in 2025. As one of 25 community choice aggregation (CCA) programs operating in California, Ava is part of the movement to provide energy choice while expediting local and state-wide climate action goals. Ava is committed to creating a brighter future in our communities and beyond by providing clean power at competitive rates, reinvesting in our member communities, and developing programs that make it easy for customers to discover, try and adopt clean energy solutions. For more information about Ava Community Energy, visit AvaEnergy.org.

About Calibrant Energy
Calibrant Energy is a total energy partner that simplifies the transition toward energy decarbonization and decentralization. Calibrant Energy creates smart energy solutions for companies and institutions by integrating the latest energy technologies with adaptive financing. Calibrant Energy brings together global innovators in energy, Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) and Siemens Financial Services (SFS) to deliver distributed energy solutions that help achieve commercial, sustainability and strategic goals. Siemens Financial Services also provides debt financing for Calibrant projects. Calibrant Energy's mission is to provide reliable, high-quality, and transformational energy solutions with end-to-end services. For more information, visit www.calibrantenergy.com.

Media Contacts
Mission Control Communications for Ava Community Energy
[email protected]

Calibrant Energy
Hollie Davis
[email protected]

SOURCE Ava Community Energy