With concerns about rising fuel costs and global warming, electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming a viable, economical transportation option. To encourage and meet this growing demand, the City has worked with regional partners and state-wide programs to install electric vehicle charging stations in downtown. While most vehicle charging happens primarily at people’s homes or businesses, public charging stations provide convenient charging for people visiting the downtown area.
In 2012, the City installed two Level 2 charging stations in the public parking lot located at 500 First Street, which are part of a growing network of EV charging stations in the metro area and Oregon. The charging stations were installed at no-cost to the City as part of the EV Project, a program of ECOtality, a pilot program funded through the U.S. Department of Energy. Stations can be found using ECOtality's BlinkMap web site. At the end of the pilot program, which runs through June 30, 2013, the City has the option to retain the units at no cost. The units can be easily removed from the building and relocated to a new site at a future date.
In 2008, the City joined forces with Portland General Electric to install a Level 1 station at the northwest corner of A Avenue and 2nd Street to help develop and test the transportation infrastructure needed to support plug-in vehicles.
To learn more about electric vehicle charging station installations by municipalities in Oregon and Washington, check out this backgrounder from the Pembina Institute.
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