South Philly Gets First Charging Station For Electric Cars
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania's first public electric vehicle charging station opened this morning in South Philadelphia.
The Liberty gas station, on Columbus Blvd. near Tasker Street, now has the area's first public access plug-in station for EVs and hybrid plug-ins.
This "level two" charging unit -- festooned in green and white ribbons and under a temporary tent for today's ceremony -- could take up to four hours to top off a vehicle's battery. A "level three" unit is being tested in other parts of the country; those could take just 7½ minutes to give a vehicle a full charge.
Tony Bandiero (above) is the director of the Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program. He says drivers of electric vehicles can browse to chargepoint.net on the Internet to see where the next charging station is located along their planned route:
"There is a thing called 'range anxiety' -- people get nervous that they don't have a place to plug in. So these things are available online to find where they can plug in."
You'll be able to plug in for free at the Liberty station in South Philadelphia for the next six months. The price will be determined after usage of the new device is monitored in this market.
Reported by John McDevitt, KYW Newsradio 1060.
