Posts Tagged ‘where can I charge an electric car’

Consumers Are Coming Around on Electric Vehicles

WebProNews

By

https://www.webpronews.com/consumers-are-coming-around-on-electric-vehicles-2013-11

Consumers Are Coming Around on Electric Vehicles

As prices drop and technologies improve, electric vehicles are now set to become a mainstay on U.S. roads and even in the U.S. military.  Though adoption rates for the technology are clearly on the way up, manufacturers will still have to convince Americans that electric vehicles are cost effective, safe, and reliable.

Market research firm Navigant Research today released a survey report showing that American opinions on alternative-fuel vehicles are steadily improving.  The firm found that around 67% of those surveyed now view hybrid vehicles favorably and that 61% now view plug-in electric vehicles favorably.  Natural gas vehicles were also found to be viewed favorably by around 56% of those surveyed.

The survey also found that consumers looking for alternative-fuel vehicles are most concerned about saving money.  Fuel efficiency was a top concern for potential buyers, followed by other factors such as performance and the size of such vehicles.

Though the industry has obviously hit a tipping point, Navigant also found that manufacturers will have to work hard to build awareness for their brands.  The survey found that less than half (44%) of respondents knew of the Chevrolet Volt.  Awareness for other brands was even lower, with less than 33% having knowledge of the Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf, and BMW i3.

“Two-thirds of consumers surveyed stated that they believe EVs have unique features that stand out from their gasoline counterparts, and 6 out of 10 agreed that EVs are much less expensive to own in the long run than gasoline cars,” said Dave Hurst, principal research analyst at Navigant.  “While those are encouraging numbers, it’s clear that automakers still have a long way to go in marketing these vehicles to the wider car-buying public.”

(Image courtesy Tesla Motors)

 

Find an EV Charging Station

The US Department of Energy maintains a great web resource for electric vehicle owners seeking charging stations near their homes and offices – click here to search for locations of alternative vehicle power near you.

Kirk-Rudy Ribbon Cutting – May 25th, 11am

Woodstock, GA. May, 2011 – At 11:00 a.m., May 25, 2011, Kirk-Rudy, a paper machinery manufacturer established in 1967, and a major employer in Cherokee County, will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its solar parking canopy with an attached Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station. This is the first solar canopy with EV charging station in Georgia; and the first EV charging station in Cherokee County.

Construction as of April 26th

Kirk-Rudy, a community leader in energy sustainability and recycling, had the solar array installed primarily to offset the company’s electricity consumption. Rick Marshall, President of Kirk-Rudy, expects the solar panels to offset the company’s electric usage by 30 percent. The solar array will also provide electricity for the charging station as well, thereby providing 100% “green”, renewable energy for the vehicle. Only one charging station is being installed at this time, but the design and construction allow for a second or third charging station to be easily installed in the future as demand dictates.

Creative Solar USA, Inc., headquartered in Woodstock, Georgia, designed, engineered, and installed the 100 kW solar canopy. Creative Solar USA has been designing and installing solar photo voltaic systems since 2008. In addition to reducing the long-term cost of electricity and providing beneficial shade for parked cars, Russell Seifert, the CEO of Creative Solar, for years has believed in the concept of solar parking canopies with EV Charging Stations and that they are a natural step in our nation’s quest for energy sustainability.

“We are honored and proud to work with Kirk-Rudy on such a monumental project,” said Mr. Seifert. “All of our labor and subcontracting was sourced locally and 85% of our materials were bought from Georgia based companies. Solar power not only helps our country with energy independence on a global scale, but is also a benefit to our local economic community.”

The charging station is made by ClipperCreek, Inc. and manufactured in Auburn, CA. Metro Plug-In, also of Woodstock, provided the charging station for the project. Creative Solar USA and Metro Plug-In find their two products to be a natural fit and both companies look forward to more joint endeavors.

The actual ribbon cutting will take place at 11:30 a.m., May 25th, at Kirk-Rudy’s office located at 125 Lorraine Parkway (near the intersection of Rope Mill Road & Ridgewalk Parkway) in Woodstock, GA to be followed by a BBQ luncheon.

Woodstock Business Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Station for Employee Use

Tucked away off the entrance road to Olde Rope Mill Park in Woodstock is one of Cherokee County’s largest industrial employers, Kirk-Rudy, which is investing its resources into a solar-paneled carport and electric car charging station.

The renewable technology is expected to supply all electricity needs for the 100,000-square-foot building that houses 95 employees.

“It’s definitely a feel-good project for us,” Marshall said.

The $500,000 project is expected to be completed by late March or early April. Marshall said the idea came after the company was exploring other cost-cutting measures. He said he attended a Georgia Power conference last spring, but at the time wasn’t sold on the idea of using renewable energy.

“But I dove a little deeper into it and realized that there are lots of credits and grants out there and started running the numbers and it made more sense,” he said. “So, we contacted some suppliers of these panels and got quotes and now we’re off and running.”

Russell Seifert, owner and CEO of Woodstock-based Creative Solar USA, is responsible for the solar car canopy, which runs on a 100-kilowatt system comprised of 432 panels.

Marshall said the canopy, which will have 50 parking spaces, works better than rooftop panels because installing them on a roof would require penetrating the surface and opening it up to leakage issues, and panels need to be cleaned periodically, which would be easier to do with them located closer to the
ground.

Read the whole story here (PDF)