We have completed installation of the first two of five publicly available Level II EV charging stations in Port Townsend.
The currently on-line locations are at The Northwest Maritime Center on Water Street and the PT Laundromat and Car Wash on upper Sims Way.
The imminent locations are Windermere Realty on Water Street, and at John L Scott Real Estate and at GreenPod Development at Synergy Station on Upper Sims Way.
The charging stations were each donated by Power Trip Energy. The business owners are paying for some installation expenses and have committed to giving away the electricity people use to charge their vehicles, predominantly to customers and tourists.
The two free Level II chargers at our shop in Glen Cove are well-used by people from out of town despite the inconvenient location. The 10 kilowatt pv arrays at our shop produce more than 100% of the electricity we consume, even including giving as much away as possible to charge electric vehicles.
We know EV registrations per capita are among the highest in the nation here in Western Washington. A large amount of the tourists who visit Port Townsend are from metropolitan areas within 100 miles. The Nissan Leaf has a range of about 70 miles so can reach here from Seattle, but not make a return trip without recharging. The Tesla has an approximate 200 mile range.
The stations available here in Port Townsend will be publicized through PlugShare.com, a website and phone mobile app with maps of charging locations, and the various Seattle EV owners’ online groups. We are hoping that the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and Local 2020 will assist with the publicity and documentation of usage.
There will be paper surveys at the charging sites and that information will be collected which will help determine what are the economic impacts to the community from the visitors who use the stations.
We envision that if the first wave of installations become heavily used, a second phase of installations will perhaps paid be for by a cabal of businesses that benefit from the visitors but don’t have a parking spot.
The PT EV Tourism initiative will be the topic for the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Monday, January 26 at 12 pm, at the Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St, Port Townsend.