Electric Car Charging Stations Proposed

ANAHEIM —  Three recharging stations for electric vehicles could be installed this summer as part of a regional effort to fight smog.

The City Council this week approved the city’s participation in the “Electric Vehicle Quick Charge Program,” which calls for 29 stations installed in Orange County.

Money for the project would be appropriated by the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, a panel made up of elected officials from Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Anaheim is proposing its recharging stations at the Civic Center, the Amtrak-Metrolink Station near Anaheim Stadium, and the Disneyland Resort.

Stephanie Cohn, outreach coordinator for the Quick Charge program, said five major automobile manufacturers are planning to market electric vehicles in Southern California within the next 12 months.

The presence of public recharging stations, she said, will give a boost to the fledgling electric vehicle industry.

“It’s really during this initial period that we have to get over the hurdle,” Cohn said. And if there is a surge in electric vehicle sales, she said, “we expect the prices will at least be comparable to gasoline-powered vehicles, if not less.”

Cohn said an electric car could receive a 50% charge in about an hour at one of the public stations. A full charge would take from four to six hours, she said, meaning that most people would do that at home.