California Adding Five New EV Charging Stations Across LA Transit Spots To Spur Combined Use

The LA Metro Authority has just installed five new electric vehicle charging stations across its transit rail system as part of a pilot program designed to encourage electric vehicle owners to combine driving with public transportation.

Los Angeles electric vehicle charging station. Photo courtesy of Luskin Center for Innovation

The transportation authority hopes that EV drivers will see the stations as a convenience that allows them to “be able to charge their vehicles while using the Metro to run errands, go to events” or commute to work.

This is the first time that the transportation authority has directly incorporated EV charging stations into the transit system. The new charging stations are located in: Union Station, Sierra Madre Villa Station, Willow Station, El Segundo Station, and Universal City Station.

The transportation authority said the locations were selected because of their proximity to major transportation hubs and busy traffic arteries. In addition, they were selected to encourage the use of the transit system – and its Park and Ride lots – from different regions headed to and from Downtown LA.

The charging stations all incorporate the SAE J1772 (North American Automotive Industry Standard) plug. These locations consist of 208/240V 30amp Level 2 charging spots capable of providing up to 7.2KW of power to each vehicle.

All of the newer model electric cars – including the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, Ford Focus Electric, Toyota Prius Plug-in, and Mitsubishi iMiEV – will be able to plug into the Level 2 charge spots.

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NYS Governor To Install Hundreds Of New Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Statewide

With high and unpredictable gas prices becoming a constant in New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo has set plans in motion to install about 325 new electric vehicle charging stations across the state.

Electric vehicle charging stations. Photo courtesy of inhabitat.com.

Cuomo has awarded $4.4 million in state funding to be distributed among 10 facilitators – comprising of companies, municipalities, and state-operated power and transportation authorities – to make the installations.

“With New Yorkers facing higher prices at the pump, the state is stepping up to make owning an electric vehicle an affordable and convenient option,” said Cuomo.

The governor’s office hopes that an infrastructure of electric charging stations will help reduce oil reliance in the state and promote the sale of electric cars, trucks, and other vehicles.

Transportation currently makes up about three-fourths of New York State’s oil consumption, and nearly 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The state’s electric vehicle charging station project is part of a joint effort by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The NYSERDA is also planning to manage a $10 million fund that will offer vouchers of up to $20,000 per vehicle for the purchase of electric commercial trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds.

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U.S.Legislators Grant Billions to Electrify Auto Industry Fearing Foreign Oil Security Risks

Over the last two years, U.S. legislators have given out over $2 billion in grants and loans to companies for the research and development of energy efficient green technologies for the nation’s auto industry.

A major motivator is fear. The latest government report - The Recovery Act: Transforming the American Economy through Innovation - found that, “Oil powers 95 percent of America’s cars, trucks, ships, planes, and rail cars.

“The United States is the largest oil consumer and importer in the world and relies on imports for more than half of its oil consumption. This dependence on oil is an energy security threat and increases U.S. economic vulnerability.” Additionally, it acknowledges that, “The environmental impact of petroleum-powered vehicles is also a rising concern.”

The bulk of the grant money to the auto industry has gone into building factories and facilities for improving electric vehicles, new battery technologies, electric power trains, and the development of charge stations.

The report speculates that, “Today, an American driving 32 miles a day to and from work will spend almost $1,000 a year on gasoline, each day adding to U.S. dependence on foreign oil. A consumer driving an electric car would save over $630 per year powering the car with electricity generated in American power plants instead of gasoline made from imported oil.”

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Global Partnerships Competing for First Place in the Race for Optimal Fuel Efficient Technologies

Argonne National Laboratory’s senior staff signing a Memonrandum of Understanding with India’s NATRiP during a video conference call. From left: Larry Johnson, TTRDC director; Raj Sekar, a senior mechanical engineer; and Eric Isaacs, Argonne director. The laboratory is one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest facilities for science and engineering research. Photo courtesy of Argonne.

As competition intensifies among automotive companies to come up with the most fuel efficient vehicles that are also cost-effective to produce, some research groups are taking the alternative approach of global cooperation.

Argonne National Laboratory’s Transportation Technology Research and Development Center has just signed a partnership with NATRiP, India’s National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop energy efficient transportation technologies.

This latest agreement will allow both groups to cooperate through information exchanges of publicly available research data, and visits to each other’s facilities.

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