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- EVPassport, Viejas Casino, and Maada’oozh, announce deal to build largest EV charging super hub in North America
EVPassport, Viejas Casino, and Maada’oozh, announce deal to build largest EV charging super hub in North America
EVPassport, an EV charging network, has announced a partnership with the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indian Tribe and Maada’oozh, a native-american owned Distribution, Logistics and Maintenance company, to establish the largest EV charging superhub in North America.
The Viejas Charging Superhub, set to be operational by Spring 2024, will be located at the Viejas Casino and Resort. It will feature 410 L2 chargers and 8 dual port DC Fast Chargers, catering to both resort customers and travelers on Interstate 8, a designated Alternative Fuel Corridor (AFC) in California.
The Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, a Native American Tribe in Southern California, is committed to sustainability and reducing the impacts of climate change. In addition to the EV Charging Superhub, the Tribe, in collaboration with Indian Energy, LLC, and the California Energy Commission (CEC), is constructing a Solar PV and Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) microgrid. This microgrid will power the casino, two hotels, restaurants, and an outlet center, offsetting millions of tons of carbon from the power grid. The Tribe is also upgrading all its commercial buildings with energy-efficient equipment to reduce energy consumption and electricity costs.
Maada’oozh, LLC, with over 24 years of experience in the energy industry, provides energy services to Native American Tribes, the US Military, and customers seeking sustainable energy solutions.
EVPassport, based in Venice, California, is backed by Northleaf Capital Partners, a $25-billion-dollar private equity firm. The company’s customers include Viejas Casino and Resort, Aqua Caliente Casinos, Brookfield, Hilton, Marriott, LaSalle, JLL, InterPark, among others.
“The Viejas are using its resources to do our part to solve the climate and energy crisis,” said Erich Hans, the Viejas Director of Treasury and Chief Financial Officer. “Our customers want EV Charging options at our Casino and Resort, so we are delivering them that, but we also want to help the community, region and state by building a game-changing EV Charging Superhub to provide options on Highway 8 and to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles.”
“The mission for Maada’oozh is to help its customers achieve their energy goals with equipment and materials that are sustainable, renewable, and cost effective. We are proud to have worked with the Viejas and EVPassport, to develop this project.” said Dr. Craig Reiter, Maada’oozh’s General Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer.
“EVPassport is building the nation’s most reliable and easy-to-use charging network, and this hub is a critical piece of it,” said Hooman Shahidi, CEO of EVPassport. “When completed, this super hub will be the largest in the United States and will bring charging to both the guests of the Viejas resort but to the thousands who travel on the I-8 corridor every day. Private sector investment like this, coupled with public sector partnerships, will help us build out a charging network that will accelerate the adoption of EV’s. EVPassport is proud to partner with the Viejas and Maada’oozh to deliver these chargers in the Spring of 2024.”