The City of Mountlake Terrace has been awarded ten electric vehicle charging stations to be installed upon approval by Community Transit at the Transit Center, near I-5 and 236th Street SW.
The special charging stations are intended to help reduce greenhouse gases. They are valued at $52,000 — part of a grant from ChargePoint America, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Department of Energy.
The City hopes to have the charging station installed at the Transit Center some time in 2011.
The electric vehicle charging stations will be just one more aspect of the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center the focuses on environmental stewardship. Other aspects include solar panels, energy-efficient lighting fixtures, recycled construction materials, and bioswales.
For more information about how the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center is a “green” structure, check out this recent article by Solaripedia.
Check out the video embedded below featuring the 2011 Chevy Volt to see how the charging stations will work.
What is the charge for this? What is the per minute charge. And WHY is stimulus money going to a goofy project like this? What is it stimulating?????????? That is the real question.
The installation and maintenance will add man-hours (jobs, or at least part of one), the convenience will encourage eco-minded commuters who are already using the park and ride to consider electric cars. Many (most? not sure) electric cars are built in America, more cars sold equals more jobs. Increased demand for the technology equals more jobs in engineering, design, and manufacturing sectors. The decreased pollution and lessened demand for oil is a side benefit to the economic benefits.
Look at the internet – once it became widely available and common, people expected to have access and now do much of their shopping and banking (and social networking and news-gathering) this way. The internet has created jobs in areas unimagined before a dozen years ago. Somebody had to get it out there and accessible to take it from the strange to the common, and finally to expected.
Very cool! Too bad this technology is more than 20 years old and VERY late. Nice to see it finally being allowed to bloom and get an opportunity for mainstream.
I’m curious about security on these though… from the video (didn’t hear it, admittedly, over my son’s Madden ’11 video game) it looked like pretty much anyone could pull out your charge cable during the day, leaving you high and dry without your Tesla. Or worse yet, plug in their own zap-mobile in your absence and on your dime. Racking up a full day’s charge but you only getting a partial…
I think these charging stations are a great idea, but we’ll need alot more than the $41,000 Chevy Volt to get it to take off. Just like any technology though, the price always starts high, and those few dying for new technology get the ball rolling, setting a pace for the rest of us. Hopefully, the top car manufacturers will jump on board the American drive and start putting out more commuter friendly priced models.
Remember though, in 1997 the first 42″ plasma TV with a resolution of 850×480 (less than most computer monitors now days, and BARELY more than standard tube TV definition) was introduced for more than $15,000. Now? Well, you get the idea… this is a start is the point I’m making.
Keep pushing forward… this is a good thing and charges the way for a more electrified future in transportation.
I like it, at least some of our tax dollars will be used for something that we in the end can use and will hopefully be around for awhile. I just need to make myself a electric car so i can charge it there