Politics & Government

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations to be Unveiled at Classic Car Show

The city will break in their new electric vehicle charging stations with style at the 25th Annual May Madness Classic Car event on May 12.

The city will break in their new electric vehicle charging stations with style at the 25th Annual May Madness Classic Car event on Saturday, May 12. 

Mayor Gary Phillips will cut the ribbon for the stations on Saturday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. in the A Street public garage in downtown San Rafael. The charging stations join two others that the city previously installed at the C Street garage, working in conjunction with the Transportation Authority of Marin, Marin Clean Energy and Sustainable San Rafael.

A high-end Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports car (like the one Justin Bieber drives) and an affordably-priced Mitsubishi “i” all-electric hatchback will be the first cars to charge up at the new stations, bracketing the range of electric vehicles that are quickly penetrating the U.S. automotive market.

Electric cars from half a dozen manufacturers will be on display from noon to 6 p.m. on B Street, anchoring the “Eco Car” section of the annual Classic Car event, which also features live music, food and beverages, and a 5 p.m. hot rod parade.

The two Coulomb Technologies “ChargePoint” stations enable visitors to downtown San Rafael to recharge their electric cars while they shop, dine or otherwise enjoy the city. Initially there will be no charge for the electricity beyond the regular fee for parking in the garage.

“San Rafael has the highest concentration of green businesses in Marin, and these charging stations really emphasize that our downtown is rapidly becoming a green business shopping and entertainment destination,” said Mayor Phillips.

The County of Marin has installed three additional charging stations at its facilities in San Rafael, and Belvedere has put in two. Six more are approved for installation in Novato and one in Mill Valley, according to the TAM, which coordinates the regional matching funds for implementing EV infrastructure and accelerating adoption of electric vehicles. Countywide, a total of 24 charging stations are either in place or in the works.

Providing the infrastructure to support electric vehicles is an important part of San Rafael’s Climate Change Action Plan, according to Sustainability Coordinator Cory Bytof. He says transportation accounts for close to half of the community’s carbon pollution, while buildings are responsible for another third.

“When you plug one of these cars into a clean power source like solar or Marin Clean Energy’s renewable option, you immediately go a long way toward reducing your contributions to climate change,” Bytof said. “You stop contributing to the problem and start contributing to the solution.”

The switch to an electric vehicles also dramatically reduces fuel costs, according to Dale Miller, President of the Golden Gate Electric Vehicle Association, the group responsible for the electric vehicles being displayed at the event. He says that most electric vehicles are recharged at home overnight when electricity prices are lowest, dropping the cost of driving to a penny or two per mile.

“And it’s not just the costs in dollars that electric vehicle drivers are saving,” Miller said. "Switching to an electric car is the single most effective step Marin residents can take to reduce their carbon footprint."

For more information about the event, visit www.DowntownSanRafael.org. For more information about the City’s Sustainability Program, visit www.cityofsanrafael.org and click on the Green Initiatives button.


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