Evanston aldermen tonight will vote on a plan that could triple the number of electric vehicle charging stations at city-owned facilities.
The aldermen earlier this fall approved installation of three solar canopies at city parking lots, each of which would have two charging stations for use by the I-Go Car Sharing service.
Now the company that is providing the charging stations to I-Go, 350Green, has a proposal to add two public-use charging stations at each of the same three parking lots and possibly two at each of the city’s three downtown parking garages.
A city staff memo says that, under the proposed seven-year agreement, 350Green would pay the costs to install and maintain the charging stations and would reimburse the city for electricity used.
The company would charge car owners $3 per charging session to use the stations and the city would continue to charge users its own fee for the parking spaces.
The city’s sustainable programs coordinator, Catherine Hurley, says that the agreement would make Evanston one of the few suburban communities with public use charging stations as municipal parking facilities. Other Chicago-area suburbs that do have such programs include Oak Park, Forest Park and Berwyn.
350Green says it takes the number in its name from what is believed to be the safe upper limit in parts per million for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Update 9 a.m. 11/29/11: Aldermen Monday night approved the electric vehicle charging station proposal on their consent agenda without any debate.
Electric charging stations
Opening the city to privately-run electric car charging stations is a fine idea. I hope that our aldermen run the numbers with an eye toward the city also getting a percentage of each charging fees as opposed to simply being reimbursed for electricity used. Privatization is a fine idea as long as it includes a return to the taxpayers. The return might be small now, but this feels like an idea that will work and grow. A precedent that includes a cut for the city might be useful.
Electric charging stations & Encouraging electric cars
I'm with you Ray and would add that some communities are actually offering free parking anywhere in their communities to electric cars that bear the EV designated state license plates (this does NOT apply to hybrids or plug-in PHEV's).
I'd like to propose that the City of Evanston please consider going a step further and offer free city stickers to the early adopters of all electrics to encourage people to choose vehicles that have zero tailpipe emmisions.
Respectfully submitted, Brian G. Becharas