Skip to main content

Wrigley Field adds EV charging, highlights signage problems

Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Field baseball stadium has been home to the MLB’s Chicago Cubs for over a century – and now, it’s taking steps to cater to the next generations of fans by adding EV charging to its list of amenities.

LG Electronics announced the installation of ten L2 EV charging stations at one of the parking facilities servicing Wrigley Field as part of a broader commercial package between LG and the team/stadium. The chargers operate on the SWTCH platform, which enables the Cubs organization to, “optimize its pricing structure for different events.”

Sure — surge pricing is terrible and should be a universally reviled practice, but you can’t argue with the flexibility that variable pricing offers large venues, and the ability to offer discounted or even free charging during otherwise quiet parking days is one possible silver lining there.

“The availability of these new charging stations near Wrigley Field is helping kick off the new season and demonstrating the forward-thinking approach necessary to help fans at the Friendly Confines and Wrigleyville community embrace electric vehicles without reservations,” said Michael Kosla, senior vice president, LG Business Solutions USA. “Working directly with the Cubs, SWTCH and LG customized the charging stations’ software to manage power, optimize performance and ensure seamless guest experiences.”

The addition of EV charging is an important step forward for Cubs fans with electric vehicles. The ten ports are available on a first-come, first-served basis — and are (ironically) located in Wrigley Field’s Toyota Camry (not an EV, or even a PHEV) parking lot.

Electrek’s Take

When it comes to electrification and combating climate change, I like to celebrate every positive step forward. And, while the addition of EV charging to a major Chicago landmark is certainly that, I can’t help but notice that this project highlights one of the biggest (in my opinion) issues facing widespread understanding of the depth and breadth of America’s current EV charging infrastructure: proper signage.

Look at that tiny sign announcing the new EV charging stations. If you weren’t looking for it, you could easily miss it … and when was the last time you “missed” a gas station? Compare that little green sign to the sixty foot tall, illuminated signs advertising gasoline in the photo of Breezewood, Pennsylvania shown, below …

Oil companies are loud

Photo of Breezewood, PA near I-70; by Ben Schumin, via Wikipedia Commons.

… I count at least eight different places that I could buy gas or diesel. From left to right, BP, Sheetz, Exxon, Mobil, Texaco, Sunoco, Shell, and Citgo. Heck, that might not even be all of them!

Top comment by Joshua Rosen

Liked by 6 people

Signage performs a different function for EVs than for gas vehicles. For gas it tells people who are looking for gas where to find it. For EVs it tells people who don't own EVs that chargers exist. EV owners know how to find a charger, it's built in to the car plus they all have Plugshare and ABRP on their phones. But people who don't own an EV assume that charging availability is much worse than it actually is. The biggest barrier to EV acceptance is the assumption that it's hard to find charging. People contrast the situation with the availability of gas. Everyone knows that there is a gas station on every corner because they see the signs. EV chargers are hidden away at the back of parking lots, put in the least convenient spots for good reason, to minimize ICEing. ICE drivers don't see them so they assume that they aren't there.

View all comments

Even if I don’t plan on buying fuel here in Breezewood, I know it’s there. There when I want it, there if I need it. Perpetually there, sure as the moon and the tides. EV charging, meanwhile? Are there even any EV chargers in Breezewood?

Screencap, via Plugshare.

Plugshare says there’s a bunch. Fully twenty-eight public-facing DCFC ports, in fact — with more to come at the Flying J, TA Travel Center, and more “behind-the-fence” ports likely already in place. But, without the same signage, how is the average American whipping past Breezewood supposed to know?

For as long as the charging networks insist on leaving their marketing to apps and resist the inevitability of putting up signs that proclaim their availability, for when you want to charge and when you need to charge, there will always be a sense that the EV charging infrastructure is somehow “less than” the oil business’ infrastructure — despite the reality being a very, very different thing.


SOURCES | IMAGES: SWTCH, Plugshare.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Stay up to date with the latest content by subscribing to Electrek on Google News. You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about Tesla, electric vehicles, and green energy, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our YouTube channel for the latest reviews.

Comments

Author

Avatar for Jo Borrás Jo Borrás

I’ve been in and around the auto industry since the 90s, and have written for a number of well-known outlets like CleanTechnica, the Truth About Cars, Popular Mechanics, and more. You can catch me on The Heavy Equipment Podcast with Mike Switzer, the AutoHub Show with Ian and Jeff, or chasing my kids around Oak Park, IL.

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications