First electric charging station on coast to open on Monday



Lincoln City and Coulomb Technologies officials plan to unveil the first of six electric vehicle charging stations next week as they gear up to entice owners of zero emission vehicles to visit the city.

The official ceremony starts at 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, in the public parking lot on SW 51st St. in the Taft district at the city’s south end. City officials and Charge Northwest representative Jim Blaisdell will present the station at the event, which will also feature two electric vehicles.

Charge Northwest (www.chargenw.com) is the authorized distributor of the ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations from California-based Coulomb Technologies in the Northwest.

Lincoln City has a contract with Coulomb and Charge Northwest to purchase six of the stations for $22,620. The stations feature cell phone interfaces with Coulomb Network that allows customers with Internet access to locate the units and determine their availability.

While some hybrid vehicles are battery electric types that charge while in operation, other hybrids, called plug-ins, and pure electric vehicles require recharging after a limited distance, typically 80 to 100 miles. Folks who own such vehicles must know they have access to charging stations before considering any destination.

“We have identified three great locations where a charge can be done easily and quickly, while drivers enjoy the amenities of the immediate surrounding areas,” said Kurt Olsen, the city’s urban renewal director. City leaders plan to set up other stations at the community center at the north end of town, and the cultural center in the city’s central section.

Sandy Pfaff, executive director of the Lincoln City Visitor & Convention Bureau, said city officials “want to make travel to this beautiful destination as easy and environmentally friendly as possible.”



Charged up

Lincoln City is the first Oregon coastal community to install the charging stations, and city officials are electrified by the notion of the tourism potential the stations represent.

“Lincoln City will attract new visitors from Oregon, Washington, and California because of their forward-thinking approach to new forms of transportation,” said Richard Lowenthal, Coulomb Technologies CEO. “The city motto is ‘A Great Place to Try New Things,’ and certainly establishing the infrastructure will garner the attention from electric vehicle owners.”

Coulomb’s network of charging stations - the ChargePoint Network - is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a toll-free call to the 24/7 number at each station, or by signing up for a monthly subscription to the network. They receive a ChargePoint Smart Card that allows them to charge their vehicle at any charging station worldwide.

City Manager David Hawker, Olsen, and Pfaff had considered and researched the idea for several months, but were jolted into quick action when Olsen learned that a purchase prior to Dec. 1, 2009, gave the city an opportunity to get six stations for the price of five. They also discovered that Cannon Beach was considering putting stations in their community.

“We felt it important that Lincoln City be the first community on the coast to act,” noted Olsen and Pfaff in a Dec. 14 memo to city council.



Follow the money



“It’s really about tourism. It’s about marketing,” said Mayor Lori Hollingsworth during the Dec. 14, 2009 city council session, when council members unanimously approved the station locations at the community center, cultural center, and SW 51st St. behind the glass center.

“We’re going to be on the map,” City Manager David Hawker declared. “They’re going to say, ‘Where can I go?’ with one of these cars. We’re looking at millions generated by having these here.”

According to the Olsen/Pfaff memo, Nissan anticipates delivering 1,000 electric vehicles to various Oregon dealers this year. The average traveler to Lincoln City (within city limits, not immediate surrounding areas), they noted, spends $100 per trip. The average number of occupants for vehicles is 2.5.

Currently, only 400 all-electric vehicles are registered in Oregon, but state officials estimate that within a decade, plug-in cars could make up 20 percent of all new vehicles sold in Oregon.

“If we get half of those 1,000 cars (not including the 400 already here) to come to Lincoln City for a weekend or vacation in 2010, the charging stations will generate $125,000 in tourism revenue,” Olsen and Pfaff wrote. “If the above estimate by the state is true, by the end of the decade, the charging stations could generate (or save the loss of) as much as $40 million in annual tourism revenue simply by making travel here by electric car possible.”

Oregon is one of only two states Nissan selected for electric vehicle distribution, with Portland the first site for electric cars, and a possible site for an electric vehicle production plant.

“We’re only one charge away from Portland,” Olsen noted.

Funds would derive from a $3 charge per charge, with Coulomb reimbursing the city for $2.40. Olsen suggested they offer the service free for the first year.

If they opt not to charge for the charge, Pfaff said they would lose the reimbursement, but wouldn’t have to pay any additional costs.

Council members will discuss the options to charge or not to charge at a future council session.



Terry Dillman is the assistant editor of the News-Times. Contact him at (541) 265-8571, ext 225, or terrydillman@newportnewstimes.com.



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