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AAC’s National Nonprofit’s EV Charging Stations, free to the public, now total over 200 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County & the Getty Center & Getty Villa
November 16, 2021 – Adopt a Charger, the nonprofit that installs electric vehicle charging stations free to users in state and national parks, museums, beaches, civic hubs, and other destinations in 10 states, more than doubled its inventory at iconic Southern California cultural institutions during the pandemic. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, it now has more than 200 EV chargers, collectively, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the Getty Center and Getty Villa, where it more than quadrupled its count.President Biden is expected to sign an infrastructure bill that includes a vast enhancement of EV charging infrastructure, which is critical to the mass EV adoption that major auto companies and many countries, states, and cities are working toward to combat climate change. Concerns over the latter motivated Kitty Adams Hoksbergen over a decade ago to found Adopt a Charger, a one-of-a-kind organization built with grants from such entities as the California Energy Commission, which provided $491,000 for installation of 60 chargers at such state parks as the Hearst San Simeon State Historic Monument.The park project “is helping provide visitors and park employees with access to charging infrastructure,” the CEC notes, “and support the state’s transition to clean, zero-emission electric vehicles… with no tail-pipe pollution.” It is “helping improve air quality and combat climate change.”Adopt a Charger, which has installed more than 300 EV charging stations nationwide, finds sponsors to “adopt” the stations by donating funds to install and maintain them. Sponsors receive recognition on signage. Most Adopt a Charger stations are Level 2, which are found in most home garages and public areas and add 18-20 miles of range per hour.The three museums’ chargers are all free for public and staff use. The expansion was enabled by a donation from PowerFlex, a division of EDF Renewables North America. PowerFlex’s Adaptive Charging Network (ACN) allowed the avoidance of costly utility upgrades by managing charging based on drivers’ demand, building load, and other variables. Adopt a Charger and PowerFlex utilized the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Charge Up L.A.! commercial rebate to further help offset costs.The Getty Center and Getty Villa currently have a total of 121 chargers, the most of any single Adopt a Charger site, with an additional 21, two for electric school buses, expected by year’s end. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Adopt a Charger’s first L.A. installation, has 16 chargers with another 24 expected next year. The Natural History Museum has 40.Since placing its first charger at San Francisco’s Crissy Field in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Adopt a Charger has installed chargers at over 90 sites, 26 of those in California state parks. Among other Southern California locations; the Baldwin Hills Scenic Outlook, Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, the Los Angeles Zoo, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles–with 56 chargers–and Cal Poly Pomona.To the north: The Music Concourse Garage in Golden Gate Park, Muir Woods National Monument, and Russian Gulch State Park.Destinations outside of California range from a Unitarian church in Kentucky to a botanical garden and zoo in Ohio to a tech park in Arkansas. Other states with chargers: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Vermont, and Washington.“I’ve targeted popular destinations that people typically drive 30 to 40 miles to visit, where they stay three to four hours, and which require EV chargers to enable zero-emission travel,” Adams Hoksbergen said. “Seeing an abundance of chargers gives people confidence to buy an EV, and they spark conversations with owners, which allows folks to get information outside of the pressure of dealership sales staff. Adopt a Charger is also providing critically needed workplace charging. When we started installing at the Getty, three employees had EVs. Now it’s up to about 80.”“The Getty is committed to sustainability, and we know environmental stewardship is important to our visitors,” said Steve Olsen, Getty vice president, CFO, and COO. “We appreciate the support of PowerFlex, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and Adopt a Charger as we increase the opportunities for electric vehicle drivers to visit the Getty Center and Getty Villa with confidence, knowing they can charge their vehicles while they explore the museum.”Said Mara Naiditch, associate vice president of marketing and enterprise for the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County: “As a museum of, for and with Los Angeles, these chargers are part of our commitment to help reverse the effects of climate change and create a more sustainable future for all Angelenos. Our EV chargers encourage zero-emission trips from visitors across Southern California and beyond and enable staff to commute while decreasing their carbon footprint.”Collectively, the three museums’ chargers have powered a total of 428,000 electric miles traveled and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 143 tons since May 2021, according to PowerFlex.Adopt a Charger is working on new projects in Arkansas and elsewhere with an aim to install charging stations in every state
Adopt a Charger is a nonprofit organization founded in March 2011 to accelerate the widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles by broadening charging infrastructure. Our unique approach matches a sponsor with a host site located at a popular public destination: state and national parks, universities, museums, beaches and the like.
Getty is a leading global arts organization committed to the exhibition, conservation and understanding of the world’s artistic and cultural heritage. Working collaboratively with partners around the globe, the Getty Foundation, Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute are all dedicated to the greater understanding of the relationships among the world’s many cultures. The Los Angeles-based J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs share art, knowledge, and resources online at Getty.edu and welcome the public for free at the Getty Center and the Getty Villa.
The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County include the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park and the William S. Hart Museum in Newhall. They operate under the collective vision to inspire wonder, discovery and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds. The museums hold one of the world’s most extensive and valuable collections of natural and cultural history — more than 35 million objects. Using these collections for groundbreaking scientific and historical research, the museums also incorporate them into on-and offsite nature and culture exploration in L.A. neighborhoods, and a slate of community science programs, creating indoor-outdoor visitor experiences that explore the past, present, and future.
Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of more than 147,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected in its work with artists, technologists and thought leaders as well as in its regional, national and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives and engage new audiences.
PowerFlex delivers commercial and industrial customers a full range of turnkey clean energy solutions: solar, storage, smart EV charging, microgrids, and energy management systems. The company was founded in 2017 by a Caltech research group who developed a patented Adaptive Load Management (ALM) technology to optimize power consumption across a large network of charging stations. PowerFlex Systems was acquired by EDF Renewables North America in 2019, and consolidated with EnterSolar, a leading commercial solar developer, in 2021 to expand its onsite solar offerings.
