Electric cars to charge for free

Dec 12 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Elisha Sauers The Capital, Annapolis, Md.


If you own a Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt or Tesla Roadster and your car is a little low on power, the city soon will offer a place for you to charge up for free.

Two electric car-charging stations will be installed in the Knighton public parking garage off Inner West Street within the next month, said Lily Openshaw, the project manager.

The total price for parts and installation will fall somewhere between $23,000 and $34,000, but grants will offset the costs, officials said.

The Baltimore-Washington Electric Vehicle Initiative, or BEVI, is footing the bill for the equipment with state money, and the city will pay for the installation out of a $171,000 federal stimulus grant.

That same stimulus grant eventually will help pay for a tour bus charging station near Ramshead on West Street, said Frank Biba, chief of environmental programs. Officials expect to complete that project within the next year, he said.

The goal for the Knighton project is to put Annapolis ahead of the curve on new technologies while also generating a little more incentive for parking in an underused garage.

"I'm really hoping this is the future for a lot of our facilities," Openshaw said.

A contractor will install the equipment under a shelter on the first level. Motorists will be able to drive right up to the plugs.

Jill Sorensen, the executive director of BEVI, said Maryland energy officials are trying to expand the state's electric vehicle infrastructure. There already are a handful of charging stations in public places throughout Anne Arundel County.

BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport has four in its hourly parking garage, four in the daily garage and five at the MARC station garage. The Maryland Department of Transportation has two stations of its own at its Hanover office.

In Annapolis, the county-owned Calvert Street garage has another two.

The state push supports businesses in the emerging electric vehicle market and shows a commitment to the environmental and economic benefits, Sorensen said.

"We need to reduce our emissions, and we need to address cleaner air and water," Sorensen said. "This grant is really important to start building awareness that this is possible and the choices of vehicles are here."

Annapolis-based charging station producer SemaConnect Inc. will supply the equipment for the two Knighton stations. For almost two years, SemaConnect has had a private plug-in station at Loews Annapolis Hotel, where the eCruisers shuttles go to recharge. The charging company has quickly grown from a one-man operation to a staff of 10.

Mahi Reddy, CEO of SemaConnect, said that although only about 1,000 electric cars are on the road in Maryland right now, that's about to change. With even more automakers releasing electric cars in 2012, Reddy expects the total to increase tenfold in another year.

The market is primarily driven by the private sector, Reddy said, but the government support helps. The Maryland Energy Administration has a map on its website showing locations of charging stations.

"It makes the argument that you really should be considering an electric car -- otherwise it's all talk," Reddy said. "You wouldn't buy a gasoline car if there were no gas stations for 300 miles around, so it's the same thing."

Because this is considered a trial program, the plug-in stations at Knighton garage will be free, so long as the electric motorists pay the parking fees, officials said.

The city will have the option to convert the stations into revenue generators in the future. The equipment already includes a software system that can bill consumers by credit card.

"Early on you have to encourage people to use these," Reddy said, "but with a click of a mouse, they can switch it to a pay model."

---

esauers@capgaznews.com