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Electric Era’s first reported Costco fast-charging installation opened at the Ridgefield, Washington, warehouse in October 2024. The Seattle startup had recently moved into an 18,000-square-foot facility where it assembled and customized chargers, worked on software and payment systems, and tested batteries. The new headquarters offered a look at the work behind the deployment—and, according to CEO Quincy Lee, helped Costco assess the company before signing.
What happened at the Ridgefield Costco
Electric Era announced the Ridgefield, Washington, installation on October 24, 2024. GeekWire reported that the station used two-port charging units rated at 200 kW and paired with a large battery. Electric Era said the project went from contract signature to launch in seven weeks; GeekWire described the chargers as installed within seven weeks of being ordered. Those are company and news-report accounts of this installation, not a general guarantee for future sites. GeekWire’s October 24, 2024 report and Electric Era’s announcement via PR Newswire document the launch.
The company described its deployment pace as six times quicker than the industry standard. That comparison comes from Electric Era, not an independent study. Lee also said in 2024 that the company’s chargers were slightly more expensive than Tesla’s but at least 25% cheaper than other competitors, and that its stations were operating 98% of the time. These are company-reported claims cited by GeekWire, not independently verified Ridgefield test results.
Inside Electric Era’s Seattle headquarters
After moving during summer 2024 to a facility south of downtown Seattle, Electric Era occupied 18,000 square feet, according to GeekWire. The workspace combined several functions that help explain how the company approached a retail deployment:
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- PLUG IN, NO HARDWIRING: Level 2 charger delivers up to 40A to fully charge most EVs overnight. Plugs into a 240V, 4-prong NEMA 14-50 outlet (the RV/range type - NOT a dryer outlet) on a dedicated 50A circuit. The extra-long 25 ft cable easily reaches across a garage or driveway. Before ordering, check your car's port type and that you have the right outlet.
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- Central work area and desks: The office supported the company’s day-to-day work.
- Electrical benches and charger customization space: Employees could work with charging hardware and tailor equipment.
- Software and payment-interface work areas: The facility supported the digital systems drivers encounter when charging.
- Fireproof battery-testing garage: Electric Era tested batteries under different conditions before installation.
Costco’s EV team toured the facility before the deal. Lee told GeekWire that seeing organized production, supply-chain, and inventory-logistics areas helped establish Electric Era’s credibility. That is his account of the sales process; the reporting does not establish that the visit alone caused Costco to choose the company.
Why put batteries beside fast chargers?
A fast-charging site can face a mismatch between the power vehicles need during busy charging periods and the capacity available from the electric grid. Battery-backed charging can store energy when demand is lower, then supply some power during a charging peak. The battery therefore acts as a buffer; it does not mean a site is independent of the grid. Lee described solving this constraint as central to Electric Era’s business: “The fundamental value that the company has is solving the grid constraint.”
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At the Ridgefield Costco, GeekWire described chargers paired with a large battery, but the 2024 reporting does not give the battery’s capacity or independent performance measurements for that station. A separate project in Kent offers a later example of how battery buffering can be measured, but it is not evidence of Costco-site performance.
What a later Kent project measured—and what it does not show
In an April 2026 release, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) described a separate fleet-charging demonstration at its Kent facility. PSE reported four ports capable of up to 200 kW per port and battery capacity listed as 125/220 kWh. For the first month, it reported a 70 kW reduction in peak demand, peak delivery of 209 kW to vehicles while drawing 139 kW from the grid, 96.5% first-session success, and 99.95% uptime. The release does not explain the 125/220 kWh notation in the information summarized here, so it should not be read as a single clarified capacity figure.
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- [Plug-play Mode(The Default Setting), Smart Touch Screen, No APP Needed]: Clearly show the charging amperage, charging speed, input voltage, delay time, etc. For the touch buttons: 1. Pull out the charging gun before press the buttons, otherwise no respond; 2. Long press "Ⓐ" or "Time" button to enter the setting interface, then you can adjust the amperage from 16A to 48A freely or Set the charging start time; 3. You can do "factory reset" if doesn't charging.
- [Smart WIFI APP, You can Set the Charging Period]: By APP, you can wirelessly check the charging cost, history, fully-charged notification, track the charging status, during off-peak period, etc. [Wi-Fi Reset/Factory Reset Function, Add New Device Quickly]: If you can't find your device or you have replaced a new phone, just pull out the charging latches, simultaneously long press the Ⓐ button and time adjustment button on the product screen until it shows "Factory Reset", then wait 3-5 seconds and re-start your device.
These are PSE’s figures for its Kent demonstration—not Costco’s Ridgefield station. The sites and use cases differ, and the results come from different organizations’ reporting. PSE’s account is useful as a separate illustration of battery-backed charging, not as a comparison proving that the Costco installation achieved the same performance. PSE’s April 28, 2026 release describes the Kent project.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 2024 story says about scale—and what remains unknown
GeekWire reported that Electric Era launched in 2019, had 33 employees, and had raised $20.5 million at the time of its October 2024 story. These are historical figures, not current company metrics. The story also said the company hoped to deploy another 50 stations by the end of 2025; that was a stated goal, not confirmation that the stations were built.
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- Safe & Durable: Rely on this UL-certified EV charger for safe home charging. It can be installed indoors or outdoors by an electrician and includes a cold-resistant cable
- Fast & Powerful: This EV charger charges 9× faster than a 120V outlet, delivering up to 45 mi/hr., dependent upon your vehicle. It features a J1772 connector for all non-Tesla EVs and plugs into a 240V outlet with a 14-50 receptacle, requiring a 40A or 50A circuit. For Tesla EVs, this will require an adapter
Costco’s 2025 sustainability report says it is expanding EV charging, including fast charging at multiple locations where feasible. GeekWire’s 2024 article also cited a Costco plan to install fast chargers at 20 locations, without a timeframe. Neither source establishes how many Electric Era-Costco sites are operating now, and the reporting does not establish the current status of the Ridgefield station. Costco’s sustainability information provides the broader company context but no Electric Era-specific site count.
Why the headquarters matters to the installation story
The Seattle facility was more than an office setting for the tour: its reported work areas connected hardware customization, battery testing, software, and logistics with the practical demands of a commercial deployment. Lee’s account suggests that visible operational organization helped reassure Costco during the sales process. The reporting does not show that the facility itself explains the seven-week schedule, nor does it independently validate the company’s claims about cost, uptime, or deployment speed.
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