The two fast chargers can charge 80 miles in thirty minutes and are the first in Los Angeles County that will fast charge the newest electric vehicles from both American and European automakers. Memberships plans cost $14.95 per month or ten cents per minute for DC chargers, and $5.95 per month or $1 per hour for Level 2 chargers.
“Seeing these cars charge in minutes instead of hours is the kind of thing that makes you say, “I want to own an electric vehicle’,” said Hermosa Beach Mayor Michael DiVirgilio, who shares a car with his wife in an effort to reduce their carbon emissions. “This is the kind of set up that allows people to ‘wing it’.”
The ability to “wing it” regarding transportation options is what makes driving a car so appealing, the mayor explained. And now with fast-charging stations, DiVirgilio hopes that more people will be willing to make the switch to electric vehicles. According to the Center for Sustainable Energy, the South Bay has the highest density of registered electric vehicles in the regional area.
“We call it a Freedom Station because it gives you the freedom from petroleum,” said Terry O’Day, vice president of eVgo. “The freedom to go through your day in an electric vehicle with a clear conscience, and the ability to not have to concern yourself with a lot of calculations.”
The Hermosa Beach Freedom Station marks a public-private partnership between the City of Hermosa Beach and NRG eVgo and is one of 125 Freedom Stations installed by NRG eVgo across the United States. Sixty-nine of the 125 stations are in California, and 28 are in Los Angeles alone, with over a hundred more planned for the Los Angeles area. The company provides a “comprehensive network of charging solutions” that include home charging options for single-family homes, apartment communities, and office spaces.
The City of Hermosa Beach announced its commitment to becoming carbon neutral — or having net zero carbon emissions through offsets such as solar power — in 2010. Since then, the city has written carbon reduction goals into its strategic plan and will discuss the authorization of a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) feasibility study at its city council meeting this Tuesday, September 9. Adopting a CCA would allow the city to collaborate with neighboring cities to choose its own alternative energy provider instead of its current energy contractor, Southern California Edison, making renewable energy an available option for all the city’s energy needs.
“What makes Hermosa great is that companies can come and test out some stuff and do things like this high-speed charging station that are at the cutting edge,” DiVirgilio said. “This demonstrates our commitment to the environment, particularly to our long term goal of being carbon neutral as a municipality and as a community.”
Visit nrgeVgo.com for more information.
