EVSI .15 - impressive Shareholder Letter just received in email which hasn't yet been posted on their website:
Driving on Sunshine: Jan. 2017 Edition
A Note From the CEO:
Dear Friends and Supporters,
A very Happy New Year to you all and my sincere best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2017. We are feeling very good about the coming year at Envision Solar.
But before I get to that, I want you to know that we closed out last year with a bumper fourth quarter and another record year for revenue. We have increased revenues every year now since 2013 (we haven’t closed our books yet, but everything I’m seeing tells me this will happen). The team here performed magnificently delivering products right up to the 28th of December. We cancelled the employee Christmas party and worked holidays to cover the demand.
Deliveries of EV ARC™ and Solar Tree® products included 13 EV ARC™ units to the Fresno Rural Transit Authority as part of our California State Contract and 12 Solar Tree® units to Cook County, Illinois where they will be deployed in Court House parking lots. It was a real pleasure to look out of my office window late into the evenings and see our fantastic ARC Mobility™ trailer driving out into the night with another of our unique, patented EV ARC™ products on board. A real taste of what’s to come in 2017.
We enter the year with a more vibrant pipeline than we have ever had. The new sales team is hammering the phones and getting great responses from government and businesses alike. They are closing sales and driving up our backlog such that we are going to enter Q1 in great shape. We’ve had a couple of hockey stick years with most of the revenue coming in the 4th quarter, but our current backlog should enable us to have our best ever first quarter, meaning that 2017 will start off stronger setting us up for a great year.
The macro economic indicators are good for us too. EV sales are strong and growing. Chevrolet has just introduced the Bolt and they are selling as fast as the dealerships can get them. By the way, I’m waiting for one myself which is how I know. Dealerships in California are not discounting the Bolt and there are plenty of people putting down deposits for them. There are many other brands showing strong EV trends as well. Ford just announced that it will not invest in a Mexican plant, instead spending $700M on a factory in the US. The media talked a lot about the Trump effect, but the real story here is that Ford plans to build EVs at that US plant instead of gas powered cars in Mexico. Ford, and all the auto manufacturers are seeing the electric future.
We are updating our EV ARC™ Media platform and should have the first one deployed in January. I’m going to work hard to push our media business this year so that we can add more revenue from that very promising business unit.
Our energy security offering is getting more attention now as our customers see the very real value offered by our E Power solutions. Almost all the EV ARC™ units we delivered in Q4 are E Power ready and it looks like the next units we deliver on the California State contract will have that fantastic capability too. Delivering vital power to first responders during black-outs will be a crucial role for our products, a great value for our customers and another growth engine for our business.
So, it looks like 2017 will be a great year for us. It should be our best ever. Please stay engaged. Recommend our products and tell our story. We are on a good and worthy path. Our hard work and your invaluable support is really paying off.
All the best for the year to come.
Desmond Wheatley, CEO of Envision Solar
Company Highlights:
Desmond was recognized in New York for being selected as one of ‘The Responsible 100’ by City & State, a media company devoted solely to covering government and politics in New York. The Responsible 100 honors business and government leaders who are committed to corporate social responsibility. All of the winners were honored at a luncheon at Hebrew Union College on December 15. Read Full Press Release
Envision Receives Order to Supply 12 Solar Tree® Systems in Illinois
Envision Solar announced that the largest County in Illinois has ordered its Solar Tree® systems to be deployed in County Court facilities. The Solar Tree® systems will be deployed in the parking lots of the municipality’s County Courthouse campus. The Solar Tree system will provide solar powered EV charging and clean, emissions-free energy for the Courthouse. Read Full Press Release
Envision Solar in the Media:
Lisa Wexler Radio Show WGCH-AM, NYC: Radio Interview with Desmond Wheatley
NGT News: Calif. Transit Agency Orders 13 EV ARC Charging Units
Charged Magazine: Fresno County, California orders 13 solar-powered EV ARC chargers
Financial Buzz: Automotive Solar Carport Charging Station – Trends and Forecasts
Tulsa CW: World Automotive Solar Carport Charging Station Market
Latest Industry News:
More than 500,000 electric cars have been sold in the United States, according to a report from an electric vehicle charger operator. The sale of more than 130,000 plug-in hybrid or battery-powered electric vehicles between November 2015 and November 2016 pushed the total number of electric cars sold in the U.S. to 542,000.
Ford will build seven of 13 new global electrified vehicles coming in the next five years, including F-150 Hybrid pick-up truck, Mustang Hybrid sports car and Transit Custom plug-in hybrid van. Ford says it's been extensively studying how past and current electric vehicle owners use their vehicles. The company has sold more than 520,000 electrified vehicles in North America since 2005 and 560,000 globally.
