The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and ChargerHelp! are proud to announce the launch of the nation’s first multi-manufacturer EV charger reliability training hub. Located in South Los Angeles, the facility provides a dedicated space for LACI and ChargerHelp! with dozens of chargers and equipment dedicated for EVSE charger reliability training. The new facility will also serve as the Los Angeles headquarters for LACI alumni company ChargerHelp! as the company continues to scale. The current LACI headquarters are located at 525 S. Hewitt St. in Los Angeles.
When public EV chargers do not work, 75% of the time the problem is a non-electrical issue. EVSE repair technicians diagnose and service chargers by updating firmware or software, resetting the WiFi, etc. This hub will operate for the next three years to train and equip reliability maintenance technicians to conduct non-electrical diagnostics, maintenance, and repair of EV chargers. The hub will also be made available to other qualified training providers that need access to such a facility. Through the leadership of Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), LACI secured funding from the State of California for the facility.
“I’m ecstatic for the grand opening of this first-of-its-kind training center, which will expand good-paying job opportunities for EV technicians in Los Angeles and beyond,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. “I was proud to lead the effort in the state legislature to secure funding for this workforce hub, and I look forward to continued partnership with LACI and ChargerHelp! to promote reliable clean transportation in our communities. Together, we will bring about a more resilient future for our labor force and our planet.”
“I want to commend LACI and ChagerHelp! for their continued work in moving Los Angeles toward a greener future,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “This announcement marks an important step toward ensuring that the local workforce needs for our electrified future will be met with the urgency, equity and support that they need while we confront the climate crisis and continue L.A.’s national leadership on transportation electrification.”
“California continues to lead in clean energy and clean transportation,” said Assemblymember Isaac Bryan. “Our local innovators like LACI and ChargerHelp! are contributing every day to building up our sustainable infrastructure. This is important work. We’re creating jobs, fighting climate change, and improving the conditions of life in our district and beyond.”
During a launch event at the new training hub, leaders from LACI and ChargerHelp! extolled the benefits of this first-of-its-kind facility: “As we see more and more EVs on the road and chargers get installed across our communities, we are very excited to empower individuals to be trained to ensure chargers work when we need them,” said Matt Petersen, LACI President and CEO. “Thanks to the support of Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove, we are excited to open this facility with LACI portfolio company and now partner, ChargerHelp! Together, we will support the creation of good paying jobs and continue to set the conditions to advance our transportation electrification goals.”
“This initiative between ChargerHelp! and LACI marks a major milestone in advancing EV technology and workforce development,” said Kameale Terry, CEO of ChargerHelp!. “By launching the first brand-agnostic training site in the nation–in South Los Angeles, we are not only addressing the technical needs of the EV industry but also empowering local communities with valuable skills and job opportunities. This collaboration signifies ChargerHelp’s commitment to innovation, inclusivity, the sustainable growth of the green economy, and further development of EV charging infrastructure.”
LACI’s Transportation Electrification Partnership (TEP), an unprecedented public-private partnership of local, regional, and state-level stakeholders committed to accelerating transportation electrification, has called for 129,000 public and workplace chargers in the Los Angeles region by the time of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The new South LA site will support progress toward that ambitious target and accelerate the transition to reliable clean transportation.
Since 2019, LACI’s flagship workforce development program has trained 160 participants to repair and maintain EVSE infrastructure, including all-women and 18-24 year old specific cohorts. As shared with Yahoo! Finance, Kameale Terry and Evette Ellis helped LACI create their first EVSE non-electrical charger reliability workforce development program in 2019. Soon thereafter, Kameale took part in LACI’s Founders Business Accelerator in 2020 to develop the concept for ChargerHelp!, and after graduating, joined LACI’s intensive, two-year Incubation program. Kameale and co-founder Evette were able to pitch their company and introduce, respectively, Vice President Kamala Harris at LACI in 2023.
Given space limitations at the world-class, LA Department of Water and Power-owned La Kretz Innovation Campus that is LACI’s headquarters, the facility will be dedicated to EVSE non-electrical charger reliability training for LACI, ChargerHelp!, and in the future other organizations and companies across LA, California, and the U.S. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has generously supported the build out of this new facility with electrical upgrades.
With equipment onsite from a multitude of manufacturers (including Dunamis and LACI portfolio companies SparkCharge, Itselectric, and Xeal), the site will also help overcome the limitations posed by traditional single-manufacturer EVSE service training centers located across the United States, which are run by individual brands and can only train technicians on their specific technology in small groups. In a muli-technology environment, technicians will be able to train across all EVSE equipment at the new South LA facility.
