Charles Russell, February 7, 2011
I recently had a conversation with two CALGreen proponents about electric vehicles (EVs) FOr 2011, auto manufacturers have introduced two electric vehicles. There are some estimates that over a million EVs will be sold in the United States this year. Cities, building departments, building owners, and home owners are challenged with providing charging stations for these EVs.
There are several concerns with outfitting buildings with charging stations. Although I don’t have answers for some of these issues, I address them because answers are needed. I urge everyone to think about the issues so we may begin enlightened discussions. For instance, are the electrical adapters universal? If you live in an apartment building or other multi-family dwelling how do you get a charging station installed? Who supplies the electricity? Will each charging station have its own electrical meter? If an apartment owner installs a charging station, how does the apartment owner recover the cost of installation? Does your local city government provide charging stations? Is there a charge for using city operated charging stations?
New challenges arise as our society and economy strive for energy independence. Those of you employed by city government are faced with new challenges and tasks. I hope you are thinking about these issues today so answers are available in the future.