Charging Station Added for City Cars

The city has installed another electric vehicle charging station in an effort to reach its goal of supporting 100 electric vehicles by the 2000, city officials said.

The city plans to convert one-third of its fleet to zero-emission vehicles by that time.

The $9,000 charging station was installed Monday at the city’s Municipal Service Center, where the city’s 300-car fleet is stored, said Grahame Watts, environmental programs analyst with the Department of Public Works.

Watts said this is the sixth charging station to be installed to serve the city’s 10 electric vehicles.

Plans are set to buy two more vehicles before year’s end: either Ford Ranger or Chevy S10 trucks, Watts said. Right now, the trucks are being used at City Hall on a trial basis until officials decide which they like best.

Compared to the Saturn EV1, which is the main car of the fleet, the new trucks are a bargain. At $15,000 for a three-year lease, the trucks are much cheaper than the $30,000, three-year lease for Saturn cars.

The new trucks and charging stations will be funded by a $100,000, one-time federal grant as part of a program to reduce pollution in Ventura County, Watts said.

The trucks, however, won’t be used for heavy work, he said.

“They’re basically neighborhood vehicles,” Watts said.