Electric Vehicles – Charging Stations
September 19, 2012 | 
Author Charging Stations & How to Find One
Charging Stations or Plug-In Stations are popping up all over the USA. Heck, we have our own Level 1 station right here at Southwest Green Building Center! The fee to charge is only $.50 for the first hour and $.25 each additional hour. However, since September 23rd is National Plug-In Day, we have waived the fee for the entire month of September!
Plug-in stations are standardized to four levels.
Level 1 - slow charging, w/charger in car, typically 8 hrs from a regular 120 volt receptacle (20 amp dedicated GFIC)
Level 2 - faster charging 240 volt 30 amp charger in car or stationary with standard J1772 connector.
Levels 3 & 4 - plug configurations are available for specific vehicles and applications some of which allow fast charging in 15 minutes
When you are traveling in your electric vehicle it’s quite easy to find public charging stations on your route. You can download apps to your mobile phone or search the internet. The site (carstations.com & chargepoint.com) will tell you the type of charging station, the cost and the availability. While stations are somewhat limited in New Mexico today, you can bet they will be installed in more and more public places in the near future. Currently, the city of Albuquerque has two Level 2 charging stations in downtown!
Another concept is the battery switching station. In this scenario you simply pull into a station and an attendant removes your depleted battery and pops in a newly charged battery. The process takes about the same time as it does to fill up your SUV – but is much cheaper!
Of course the most favored method is the solar powered station – a truly fossil fuel free way to go. How about solar panel shaded carports that charge your car while you work? See one in action today at Positive Energy in Santa Fe.
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