Orem puts in more electric car charging stations
An electric car charging station stands outside the Orem Public Library on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
An electric car charging station stands outside the Orem Public Library on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
An electric car charging station stands outside the Orem City Justice Court on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Pulling up to the filling station to gas up your vehicle may not look the same anymore, and if you have a hybrid-electric car finding a charging station can be nearly to impossible to find.
In an effort to help residents and their own employees and city vehicles, Orem has installed four new charging stations; and these are state of the art.
“These are fast D.C. charging stations,” said. Taggart Bowen, Engineering section manager.
Bowen said the new stations are a level three that can charge vehicles much faster.
“The level two, to charge up a vehicle 80%, takes 3-4 hours,” Bowen said. “The fast level three stations to charge up a vehicle 80% takes 30 minutes.”
The level two stations use 220 volts to charge vehicles, while the D.C. fast chargers use 480 volts, Bowen said.
The charging stations are located around the city center campus. With one east of the court building, one by the public library, one by the police station and near the south entrance to the city building. A level two charging station was also put in two years ago at that south entrance location.
“The money for the four new stations comes from the Volkswagen Emissions fund,” said Sam Kelly, city engineer. “We applied for the project and were selected.”
The city was awarded $308,000 for the stations.
Taggart said that during the week-day hours, the public may use the charging stations for free. At night and on the weekends there is a charge depending on the length of time the station is used.
“Individuals that charge vehicles nights and weekends are charged for the amount of power used,” Taggart said. He added this is not a money making deal for the city, it is a breakeven on the cost of the electricity.
The Public Works department also received a portion of the money. Kelly said. Some of the funding was used to replace a city van.
Kelly said the city is looking more toward electric cars particularly as part of their pool cars. Environmental issues and keeping the air clean are a part of the drive to get the hybrid vehicles.
Kelly said residents who need a car charged can plug in at the library, go in and find a good book, read for a while and when they get back, it will be charged and ready to go.
For more information on the charging stations visit http://orem.org or call the 311 Help Center.
