Durham County Electric Vehicle Charging Station Frequently Asked Questions

Who paid for the Durham County won a Blue Skies grant from the Triangle J Council of Governments County’s electric vehicle for $55,600 to install 12 stations at 5 locations. These funds came from the charging stations? American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus funds). The County contributed over $70,000 in costshare for the 12 stations.

Who pays for the Durham County General Services electricity for the County charging stations?

Why doesn’t the County Durham County wants to encourage people to use electric vehicles and to visit charge people to use the Durham from neighboring counties. Knowing that there are places to charge stations? throughout Durham will help potential EV customers and visitors feel more comfortable about driving an electric car. Also, because we anticipate the use of the stations will remain relatively low until more EVs are on the street, it would cost the County more money to implement a billing system than we would recover from the revenue. As use increases, the county will consider charging a fee for use of the stations.

Why did the County Durham County is committed to reducing local air pollution and greenhouse gas install them? emissions. This commitment is evident in the County’s Strategic Plan Goal 4 ‐ Environmental Stewardship. The Durham County Commissioners & City Council adopted a Greenhouse Gas Emissions plan in 2007 to reduce community & government greenhouse gas emissions. Tail‐pipe emissions from vehicles account for about 1/3 of Durham’s greenhouse gas emissions. Electric vehicles result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions and no local air pollution, so encouraging electric vehicles is one strategy to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, The Durham County Commissioners & City Council adopted an Electric Vehicle Charging Station Plan in 2012 that promotes the use of EVs and EV infrastructure.

How are EVs Electric Vehicles have no tail‐pipe emissions, which means improved local air environmentally quality. Additionally, the electricity used by EVs is generated in power plants, friendly? which could be powered by a clean fuel source (ie. Hydro, solar, wind). Though some of the electricity may come from fossil fuel burning plants, those plants are subject to heavy regulation and emissions reductions standards, so over time those plants will produce fewer emissions and the vehicle charging will have less environmental impact. In addition, power plants have excess energy at night so if EVs are plugged in overnight, they are not increasing the generation of electricity at all.

How much did the The charging units cost $2,260 each, plus the cost of installation, which varied chargers cost? from site to site.

Durham County Electric Vehicle Charging Station Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost It depends. Cost varies by 3 factors: amount of charge, time of day, and time of to charge an EV? year. A 40‐mile charge should cost between $0.50 ‐ $0.75. There is also lower maintenance on an EV because there is no need for oil changes, no transmission, etc.

How long does it take to It depends on the amount of charge and the type of charger. A charger like the charge an EV? ones installed by the county (level 2 charger) will give about 40 miles of charge in 3‐4 hours. A similar charge could take 8‐10 hours in a standard outlet (level 1 charger) or 15 minutes in a Fast‐Charger.

How far can a typical EV It depends on the car and driving conditions, but the Nissan Leaf is able to drive travel on a single about 100 miles on a full charge. charge?

How long do batteries It is anticipated that EV batteries will degrade over time, but most manufacturers last in EVs? warranty them for 8 to 10 years.

Are EVs safe? Yes, EVs are subject to all of the same safety standards as regular combustion vehicles.

How much do EVs cost? As of April, 2012, the MSRP of the Nissan Leaf is about $35,000. The car is also eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit. Other manufacturers are expected to release all‐electric offerings in 2012 and 2013.

Can you put solar panels To power an EV with solar panels given current solar technology, you would need on an EV? about 250 square feet and need to handle an additional 600lb load. This is currently not a feasible option. Some charging stations utilize solar power, though.

How Far Can I travel in http://www.freemaptools.com/how‐far‐can‐i‐travel.htm an EV?

Who installed the H&W Electrical Corp. installed them and they were built outside of Asheville, NC. charging stations and where were they built?

Where are charging There are stations at Main Library, South Regional Library, North Regional Library, stations located in Human Services, the new Courthouse parking deck, Goldenbelt, American Tobacco Durham? Campus, and Neil’s Garage off of 9th Street. A map is available at www.GreenerDurham.net.