Research Work taken from and courtesy of Mayor Jerry Sanders
Electric Vehicles Get a Charge Out of San Diego
Mayor Jerry Sanders joined clean energy leaders and regional planners at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park to unveil one of the nation’s first public charging stations for electric vehicles.
The charging station is one of 1,000 that will be installed regionwide over the next six months in an effort to encourage the adoption of no-emission electric vehicles. The charging network’s effectiveness will be studied and adjusted for a year, and the findings will be part of a national report on the efficient deployment of charging infrastructure in other cities.
"A well-planned charging network tears down a significant barrier to adopting electric vehicles," Mayor Jerry Sanders said. "I’m proud San Diego will be one of the first cities in the nation to encourage residents to purchase EVs, and that we'll serve as a model for other cities as they look to deploy their charging infrastructures."
San Diego is one of 18 major U.S. cities involved in The EV Project, a Department of Energy program managed by private firm ECOtality. The program, funded with $125 million in stimulus grants, will result in approximately 14,000 commercial and residential charging stations in 18 major cities and metropolitan areas in six states and the District of Columbia. The project will provide an EV infrastructure to support the deployment of 8,300 EVs.
"San Diego has been a terrific project market for ECOtality, and its high levels of consumer and stakeholder interest make it an excellent proving ground for electric vehicles," said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality. "The Blink charging stations installed at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and at the San Diego Air & Space Museum-as well as the commercial Blink charging stations appearing in EV Project markets nationwide-underscores our commitment to smart EV deployment and placing charging stations at locations that fit the lifestyle of EV drivers."
ECOtality began installations of its Blink Level 2 Residential charging stations in EV Project regions nationwide in December 2010, and since then has completed more than 1,400 installations. Over the last few months, ECOtality has been actively installing Blink Pedestal chargers at public and commercial sites. The company aims to have approximately 1,000 Level 2 public and commercial charging stations installed in the San Diego metropolitan area by the end of the year, as well as 30 publicly available Blink DC Fast Chargers.
At Balboa Park, ECOtality has installed three Blink Pedestal chargers in the parking lot outside of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and seven charging stations outside the San Diego Air & Space Museum adjacent to the San Diego Municipal Gym.
"The installation of electric vehicle charging stations outside of the Fleet presents an exciting opportunity to highlight the importance of environmental stewardship to our visitors," said Dr. Jeffrey Kirsch, Executive Director of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. "In conjunction with two current exhibitions focused on sustainability, ‘So WATT: An Illuminating Look at Energy,’ and ‘San Diego’s Water: From Source to Tap,’ we hope to add an exhibit component within the science center where visitors will be able to learn more about electric vehicles and make real-life connections to the outside charging stations."
The event marks the culmination of nearly a year and a half of planning. Locations for the publicly available charging stations were selected with input from regional partners and took into account a variety of factors including traffic patterns and the locations of employment centers, regional attractions and retail hubs, as well as the input from regional partners.
"This electric vehicle project signifies the State’s commitment to diversify how California uses cleaner vehicles and fuels to transport people and goods on our state's roads and highways," said California Energy Commission Vice Chair James Boyd. "Ten years from now, we will look back and remember these early charger installations as the first steps in getting 1 million electric vehicles on the road."
The Blink Pedestal Chargers provide intelligent, user-friendly features that intuitively and safely charge EVs. They include an interactive seven-inch color touch screen and web-based delivery via the Blink Network.
"Vehicles like my all-electric Nissan Leaf, and the availability of charging stations across the county, will help move America away from its dependence on foreign oil, give San Diegans an exhaust-pipe free way to get around, and help to achieve the goals of our Regional Transportation Plan by reducing per capita greenhouse gas emissions," said Encinitas Deputy Mayor Jerome Stocks, chair of the SANDAG Board of Directors.
Businesses in the greater San Diego area that are interested in hosting Blink charging stations should contact Andy Hoskinson, San Diego Area Manager at ECOtality, at ahoskinson@ecotality.com, or by calling (619) 559-2118
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