Mar 09, 2011
Electric Cars/Charging Station Demo at the Square
Has the high price of gasoline got your attention? Imagine driving in a car that doesn’t require gasoline at all.
Charlotte Center City Partners, in partnership with the City of Charlotte and Nissan is providing VIP’s, those who sign up ahead of time and the media with an opportunity to drive the all-electric Nissan Leaf in Center City the day before the drive electric tour begins its three day run at Concord Mills. Information will also be available about Charlotte’s plans to install up to 50 public charging stations in 2011. A sample plug-in charging station will be available for demonstration purposes.
The media and select VIP’s are invited to attend and drive between 11am and noon. From noon until 3:00pm, members of the public who have pre-registered will be able to test drive the 100% electric Nissan Leaf, which will be available in the Charlotte area in the next few months. The Nissan Leaf is one of around twenty plug-in vehicle models that are anticipated to be on the market by the end of 2013.
Experts predict 1 million electric vehicles may be on the nation’s roads by 2015. Charlotte has been gearing up by working with partners to install 50 public charging stations in visible locations serving the Center City and other high-employment centers around Charlotte’s Center City in 2011.
Some of these charging stations are already installed in Center City Charlotte with the balance to be installed later this year. You can see what these stations look like and have the opportunity to drive a 100% plug-in electric vehicle at a special event on Thursday, March 10th.
Duke Energy, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and the Ritz Carlton are installing a combined total of more than 25 plug-in stations in 2011. All charging stations will be publicly accessible and marked with signage to encourage use and access.
Additionally, the City of Charlotte will install up to 26 stations being funded through the City’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. This is a pilot program and is part of a larger initiative to bring electric vehicles to Charlotte.
Installation locations include:
North Tryon Street (100th block)
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center Parking Deck
CATS I-485 Station Park & Ride parking deck
CATS Huntersville Gateway Park & Ride
CATS Mallard Creek Park & Ride
South Tryon Street (500th block)
South Blvd (1400th block)
To receive notification of when these charging stations are operational, register at power2.charlotte.com.
