Politics & Government
Electric Charging Stations Arrive on Mercer Island
A ceremonial ribbon cutting at a charging station located at the Mercer Island Boys and Girls Club is scheduled for Friday, January 13, at 10 a.m.
Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt or Mitsubishi-i owners may soon be seen charging their electric vehicles on Mercer Island, according to a city press release.
The City has installed three new charging stations on the Island in achieving its goal of achieving carbon emissions reductions.
The new "Charge Point" electric vehicle charging stations are located at Mercer Island , the , and the .
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A ceremonial ribbon cutting is scheduled for Friday, January 13, at 10:00am at the Boys and Girls Club charging location at 4120 86th Avenue SE.
The charging station units are manufactured by Coulomb Technologies, a company working with the Department of Energy to build a network of "Charge Points" throughout the country. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funds covered the total cost of $75,000 for the charging units, the necessary infrastructure, and installation.
Find out what's happening in Mercer Islandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The locations for the stations were identified so as to compliment the regional charging network. They will benefit electric vehicle drivers in the community as well as those traveling the I-90 corridor.
"Charging stations are a small but important step toward our low carbon, clean energy future. I look forward to the day when our streets are humming with electric motors rather than gas burning engines," says Mercer Island Mayor Bruce Bassett.
To fully charge a Nissan Leaf costs approximately $2.50; enough to drive 80 to 100 miles. Most drivers, however, are expected to simply "top off" when using the charging stations. Initially, charging is offered free of charge.
"It is rewarding to see the results of many years of discussions with our regional partners and the congressional delegation to deploy electric vehicles and their charging stations throughout Puget Sound and especially on Mercer Island," says Mike Grady, Mercer Island Councilmember and Chair of Puget Sound New Energy Solutions.
Additional information is available by contacting Maintenance Director, James Mason at james.mason@mercergov.org or 206-275-7661.
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