Two electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are now available for public use at Pioneer Park in Tumwater. The parking area was selected after consultation with an advocacy group for people with mobility limitations and with a focus on the ability to support those using the park trails.
Tumwater held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, October 4, to celebrate the launch of the off-grid charging station. Tumwater City Councilmember Eileen Swarthout was present to lead the ribbon cutting at the event.
The event included presentations from project planners, a demonstration of the charger, and an EV car show, according to the City of Tumwater.
The Sustainability Coordinator for Tumwater, Alyssa Jones Wood, spoke at the event and related that the charger was installed in only a few hours after being brought by truck and is ready to operate.
Karen Messmer, convenor of Thurston Climate Action Team's (TCAT) electric vehicle action group said, "This type of charger is versatile and can have many applications. We are glad to see Tumwater testing out this technology. This charger will be useful now, and in the future, it will add support for people using the Deschutes Valley Trail."
The charges will be free for use by the public from sunrise to sunset and track the sun. The Level 2 chargers are entirely solar-powered and charge vehicles for 12 to 32 miles of travel per hour of charge, according to a brochure by the City of Tumwater.
The charging station is not connected to the grid and hosts a 40 kWh battery with two EV vehicle chargers, two 110-volt outlets for electric wheelchairs and electric bikes, and four USB-A charger ports.
The city stated that the chargers are part of a pilot project to determine if off-grid solar-powered EV chargers could expand into other city parks.
The station was funded by a $87,052 grant from the Washington Department of Commerce through the state's Climate Commitment Act.
The city has two other free EV charging stations at Tumwater City Hall.
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Chappellg
Love to see this happening. People who live in apartments & condos often aren’t permitted to run home EV chargers. Nice to see wheelchairs & e-bikes included! Congrats Tumwater.
Tuesday, October 8 Report this
dayantis
Super cool. This is a great addition to the park.
Tuesday, October 8 Report this
JasonWettstein
Thanks JOLT for your work to cover positive news on climate change responses. Nice article and appreciate your work with the community. :-)
Tuesday, October 8 Report this
Kruz81
A damn waste for things being forced down our throat. EVs are not remotely sustainable and will hurt us as much as fossil fuels.
Wednesday, October 9 Report this