Dozens of eco-conscious San Rafaelites took to the streets of the city’s downtown area on October 9 to encourage local businesses to think and act greener.
Dozens turned out on October 9 for the unveiling of an electric vehicle charging station donated to the City of San Rafael by Coulomb Technologies. The unveiling was part of a climate challenge event organized by Sustainable San Rafael. Attendees visited businesses in San Rafael’s downtown area and asked them to sign a pledge to reduce their carbon emissions by 10 percent annually for the next ten years. Photo courtesy of Sustainable San Rafael
By Bill Picture
Published: November, 2010
One of the highlights of the event was the unveiling of two electric vehicle charging stations donated to the City of San Rafael by Campbell-based Coulomb Technologies. Those charging stations are scheduled to be installed in a nearby public parking garage before the end of the year, when automakers are due to begin rolling out all-electric models, some of which can be driven up to 100 miles on a single charge.
“Reducing the amount of driving by at least 25 percent and getting away from gas-powered vehicles are the most important things that people living in Marin County can do to reduce their carbon footprints,” said William Carney, president of Sustainable San Rafael. According to the organization, which hosted the event, gas-powered vehicles currently account for 60 percent of the county’s carbon pollution.
“Of course, for in-town trips, we’d prefer that people walk, use public transit or ride a bike,” he said. “But for longer trips, this new generation of electric vehicles is the smartest option. They’re even better than hybrids.”
To meet the event’s climate challenge goal, Sustainable San Rafael also recommends that homes and places of business be made as energy efficient as possible through the installation of weather-stripping and double-pane windows, and that businesses and residents alike work toward a zero-waste goal by not purchasing items with excess packaging.
“We’re really asking everyone to step up to the plate,” Carney said. “If we start doing things in a carbon-conscious way, we can contribute dramatically to reductions and meet our goal.”
Charge-and-go
The electric vehicle charging stations donated to the City of San Rafael are part of Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint America program, for which the company received a $37 million federal grant. Of that money, $17 million has been earmarked for the installation of charging stations.
Nine metropolitan areas were identified as being prime candidates for the program, based partly on their strong proclivity toward environmentalism. Those regions, which include the Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Austin, Detroit, New York City, the Seattle area and Orlando, will get first crack at the free charging stations.
“It made sense to put the charging stations in concentrated areas that are green communities and also considered to be more ready from an infrastructure standpoint,” said Michael DiNucci, Coulomb’s vice-president of strategic accounts.
Anyone wishing to receive a free charging station can apply for one. The only real requirements are that the station be within 70 miles of one of the nine specified metropolitan areas, and that it be available for use by the general public. In terms of use, the stations are outfitted with a universal connector that fits all of the new electric vehicle models. The stations are also built to require a very minimal amount of maintenance.
Apple, Netflix, Pixar and Dell were among the first private companies to express interest in Coulomb’s charging stations. The companies had to purchase stations outright, however, as they intended to only allow their employees access to the equipment.
A commercial charging station costs between $5,000 and $6,000, while home models will run less than $2,000. The commercial model is more expensive because it’s built to withstand both the elements and the wear and tear of multiple users. Rates for charging sessions will be set by the owner of each machine, and will include a nominal fee for maintenance and support. A typical charging session is expected to cost just a few dollars.
Charging sessions can be paid for with either a credit card or a subscriber card, which can be purchased from Coulomb’s website. However, instead of swiping a card through a slot, the user need only hold his or her card up to the reader, which reads the information off of a chip inside the credit card. This is the same technology now being introduced by credit card companies.
“Every time you slide a credit card through one of those slots, gunk accumulates in the slot that then has to be cleaned out,” DiNucci said. “We tried to think of every scenario that might put a station out of commission, even temporarily, and tried to eliminate that risk. These stations will eventually be out on street corners, so they need to be tough.”
What also makes Coulomb’s charging stations different than its competitors is that users can view the entire network of public stations on a computer or smart phone. A live map on the company’s website not only shows the location of the nearest charging station, but it also lets the user know whether a station is available or in use, minimizing wait time and frustration. There are currently about 1,000 public charging stations in the United States.
“If you see on the map that a station is being used, you can look for another one instead of driving there and finding out that you have to wait,” said DiNucci. “We like to think of them as intelligent stations.”
Source-smart
Once San Rafael’s charging stations are installed, the stations will be powered by Marin Clean Energy, a community-based program of the Marin Energy Authority. The program provides electricity from 100 percent renewable sources at competitive rates.
The program is only currently being offered to about 10 percent of the county. However, residents in non-participating areas can sign up for the program now at slightly higher rates, or wait until early 2012, when the lower rate will be available to them.
“The purpose of the event on October 9 was to let people know what they can do to make a difference,” said Carney. “Environmental consciousness is a great resource here, but it’s still difficult for people to translate that consciousness into tangible actions. We said, ‘Here’s what you can do.’ And, finally, people have some real choices.”
For more information on Sustainable San Rafael, visit www.sustainablesanrafael.org.
For more information on Coulomb Technologies, Inc. and the ChargePoint America program, visit www.coulombtech.com.
