Baltimore is testing electric cars in an effort that could jump-start battery-powered vehicles in its fleets while it works to double the number of charging stations in the city.
The city is leasing four electric vehicles for three years under a $52,500 state grant. The cars will be passed among city agencies for testing — measuring financial benefits such as lower refueling costs and determining if recharge times as long as six hours affect workflow.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced the electric vehicle pilot program in front of City Hall, where several city electric cars sat parked in front of a row of charging stations. One of those charging stations is a newly installed DC fast charger, a station that can cut typical vehicle charging times to as low as 30 minutes and was billed as the first of its kind in the city. The mayor also talked about an effort underway to double the number of charging stations in the city.
The number of available charging stations is a hurdle for backers of electric cars across the country. Skeptics can point to longer vehicle charge times and fewer opportunities to recharge on the road when compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.
Baltimore City currently has just over 20 electric vehicle charging stations, mostly in city-owned garages, said Jason Mathias, city energy program manager. That’s in line to double to about 40, although the new chargers will not be fast chargers capable of charging a car in 30 minutes.
DC fast chargers are more expensive to install. The one in front of City Hall, at the corner of Lexington and Gay streets, cost roughly $65,000, although auto manufacturer Nissan contributed about $40,000, Mathias said. The slower chargers to be installed across the city cost between $15,000 and $20,000, or $5,000 to $10,000 if installed in garages, he said.
A Baltimore company, Electric Vehicle Institute, is installing the chargers at its own cost and with state funding, Mathias said. Electric Vehicle Institute CEO Matthew Wade said his company also sells vehicle chargers and provides electric vehicle pilot program support, including facilitating leases for the electric vehicles the city is testing. The idea is to promote electric vehicles on the road.
The city’s electric vehicles being tested are the first such cars tried in its fleets, Mathias said. “Parking enforcement has an electric golf cart,” he said. “That was the closest thing.”
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