Good thing my bike doesn’t depend on an electric charge to get going again.
If you have an E-vehicle and are waiting to try out Albany’s new charging station downtown, you’ll have to wait just a bit longer. The installation is finished but not quite ready for use until inspections are done.
At the request of CARA, the downtown urban renewal district, Pacific Power paid to have the fast-charge station installed in the city-owned parking lot of the former J.C. Penney Building, also called the Wallace Building after the Albany doctor who had it built in 1915.
Leaflets left at the site of the charge station tell people that the installation and commissioning were supposed to be finished by July 15. The notifications were still hanging there Sunday night when a bike ride took me past the place.
“We did hope for a July finish date, but obviously (we’re) not quite there,” said Sophie Dykast when I asked her. She’s the economic development coordinator at City Hall who helps run the CARA program.
“The equipment is installed and ‘ready,'” she added in an email, “but it is taking a while to get through routine inspections. Both Pacific Power and the City had their own inspections and checklists for this sort of thing, and Pacific Power’s schedule especially has been very busy.”
When the CARA Advisory Board approved the project in 2019, the thinking was that as electric vehicles become more common, among local owners but especially visitors passing through, a charging station would enhance the appeal of the downtown area with its restaurants, carousel, and shops.
Once PP&L says the station is ready to use, we’ll see how this works out. (hh)
Hasso, any word from Pacific Power on the cost of usage or how long it will take to charge a vehicle?
I’ll try to find out.
In addition to rates and charging time, ask:
1. Does this charger require membership in a network? Which one? How much does that cost?
2. Will the cost rate increase after a set period of time? (move it or pay more)
3. Will the charger have a credit card reader?
4. Will the charger accept cash payment?
5. What is the uptime assumption for this charger?
6. Which EVs will not be able to use this charger? (note: not every EV is equipped for Level 3 DC)
7. What is the business model here? Who makes money? The city? CARA? Pacific Power? Will the money maker be transparent and share how much profit is being made at this charger?
These are basic things that must be shared with the consuming public.
Seeing how well the charging stations are used @ LBCC, I’ll be very surprised if these new ones do not get used…
“…. Pacific Power paid to have the fast-charge station installed in the city-owned parking lot…” Just WHERE does PP get the money? It’s from those of us that pay for electricity.
Pretty convenient for CITY EMPLOYEES!
Pretty convenient for downtown employees!
City employees park 3 blocks south around City Hall and the Courthouse.
Get a grip Bill. Far more likely for the employees of downtown merchants. Besides, how many city employees have electric cars?
Sheesh…. Just stirring up BS.
I guess expecting a City Employee to walk 3 blocks is a lot of effort for them to expend.
They will charge at home. You get home and plug it in. If they’re at work is seems highly unlikely that they will burn up more than 10 or 20 miles a day, depending on where they live. Most ev’s these days have 180 to 340 miles on a full charge, depending on the brand.
Your article mentions nothing about Oregon’s long history of environmental and transportation racism and how it relates to the decision to install an EV charging station in downtown Albany.
The high cost of EVs and charging stations disproportionately privilege white folks and negatively impact minorities.
BIPOC communities should be front and center when it comes to the planning and implementation of EVs and the charging infrastructure that needs to be built.
So…if this charging station is not about mitigating access disparities, what is the real, hidden message here?
I suspect the real motivation is virtue signaling, especially by CARA.
This appears to be a blatant attempt by the ingroup (city government elites) to prop up CARA’s “good” character. An impossible task, if you ask me.
It would be a public service if you would ask CARA how much it will cost to charge your EV at this station.
For example, will you be charged by the minute or kWh? What rate applies? How does this compare to the cost of gas over the same distance?
Glad to hear it’s coming along. I’m seeing charging stations everywhere saw one the other day in Yachats.
Don’t expect it to get lots of use until COVID goes away. Local folks will probably charge at home, though apartment dwellers who also work downtown may use it more.
One question is what type of charging is available? 220V Level 2 like most homeowners have or Fast Charge? From the size of the station and the electrical box in the background I’d guess it’s 220 v. That’s unlikely to draw folks from the freeway.
It’s a Level 3 24kW 480 volt DC charger. Not every EV can take this juice, but it’s certainly better than a Level 2 charger.
https://www.plugshare.com/location/325438
For example, when you plug in your new $90K Ford F-150 Lightning truck with an extended range battery into the 24kW charger, it will only take about 4-5 hours to go from 20% to 80%.
https://www.homechargingstations.com/charging-time-calculator-vehicles-list/
And if there is only 1 plug at this station, you better hope no one is in front of you.
But just imagine how green and virtuous you’re going to feel while downtown.
The link you provided says 2 ports, one CCS/SAE which should provide either level 2 or level 3, and a Chademo level 3. That’s good.
I noticed that WalMart has 5 ports available.
This is not needed. Global Warming is a complete hoax.