Electric Cars Are The Buzz

Electric cars are the buzz
Institutional customers are pitched the alternative technology at an event at Burbank's airport.
Burbank Leader: 6.08.2012 by Maria Hsin

Movie studios, car rental companies, government agencies — all were wooed by proponents of electric cars, test drives and all, at Bob Hope Airport this week in an effort to increase the use of the zero- and low-emissions vehicles.

“An airport and a studio can serve as living laboratories of these technologies,” California Energy Commissioner Carla Peterman said after addressing the audience at a hangar at the airport, where several models were on display Thursday. “I would encourage airports and studios to not only adopt electric cars [and] alternative vehicles, but also alternative energy: solar panels, fuel cells.

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Michael Walbrecht, vice president of public affairs for Warner Bros., said the studio has installed five electric charging stations in two parking structures that are available to employees and visitors.

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The California Energy Commission manages a fund of $100 million annually for investments in alternative fuels, vehicles and infrastructure, and electric vehicles are a part of that, she said.

So far, the commission has invested $65.6 million in electric-vehicle-related projects, and of that, $21 million has been in the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena area, Peterman added. READ MORE !

High-tech charging stations are set to keep electric cars rolling
Eleven stations have opened in Burbank and are free of cost until July 1.  Burbank Leader: 3.27.2012 by Mark Kellam

Eleven charging stations for electric cars now are up and running in downtown Burbank. City officials hope they will spark interest among drivers of the high-tech cars to patronize the business district. Drivers can even be sent a text message when the cars are fully charged.

Use of the stations is free until July 1. After that, the cost will be $2 an hour, but the texts will remain a free perk.

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On average, five cars are charged a day, with each session lasting about two hours, said, Bruce Hamer, smart grid program manager for Burbank Water and Power, which installed the stations.

The first two stations were unveiled in December, Hamer said, adding that the last two stations went online on Valentine’s Day.

Two stations are operating at each of the following locations: 201 E. Magnolia Blvd., 327 N. Pass Ave. and 120, 133 and 240 E. Orange Grove Ave.

One station is in the parking lot of the city’s Community Services Building, 150 N. Third St.

The utility installed the stations with help from a portion of a $20-million, four-year smart grid grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Hamer said. READ MORE !

BUR: Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

December 1: Plug-In Ribbon Cutting
Town Center Mall (near Sport Chalet)
10 am

Electric vehicles can charge for no charge

Stations opening this week will be free to EV drivers until July 1, when the rate will become $2 an hour.
Burbank Leader: 11.26.2011 by Maria Hsin

Eleven new electric vehicle charging stations will debut in Burbank this week, and until July 1, motorists will get to plug in for free.

After the “holiday rate” — approved by the Burbank City Council this week — the price to charge a vehicle will be $2 per hour. But any other charging stations that come online after January will also feature a six-month grace period, according to the city.

The purpose of the grant is to promote and facilitate the use of electric vehicles by encouraging the development of EV charging infrastructure across the country, Xavier Baldwin, assistant general manager at Burbank Water and Power, said in an email.

The three-year demonstration project will also help set pricing. READ MORE !

BWP - Burbank Charging Stations:
Bob Hope Airport Economy Lot A
Bob Hope Airport Lot D
Burbank Town Center Mall (near Sport Chalet)
Burbank Public Works/CDD – 333 E Olive
Costco – 1051 Burbank Blvd
Fry’s – 2311 N Hollywood Way

All Charging Locations in Los Angeles County

Electric Cars: Roadside Assistance

If your electric car poops out on the road,
AAA can save the day
examiner.com Long Beach: 7.21.2011 by Jon LeSage

Plug-in electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, Mini E, Tesla Roadster, and do-it-yourself conversions, are slowly starting to become mainstream. There may not be any more infamous GM EV1s on the roads, but don’t be surprised to see an electric car getting charged at your workplace, shopping mall, or neighbor’s garage.

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But what happens if your electric car poops out on the highway, and you’re two hours from home? Call a tow truck? That’s where AAA has stepped in, announcing that its roadside assistance trucks are capable of fast charging stranded electric vehicles.

During the Plug-in 2011 conference in Raleigh, NC, AAA said electric vehicle drivers can get a 15-minute jolt of either Level 2 (240-volt), or Level 3 (480-volt) fast charging to get them to the nearest charge point. And there’s good news for Californians – AAA says it will roll the trucks out initially in Los Angeles and San Francisco; beyond that, Portland, Ore.; Tampa Bay, Fla.; and Knoxville, Tenn. Other areas will follow later.

For the fast chargers, the standards haven’t yet been finalized, like they have with Level 1 and 2 stations. So far, only the Nissan Leaf and the upcoming Mitsubishi i are the only electric cars that can use the fast chargers. READ MORE !