Free Electric Car Charging Available in Rosemont

Sacramento County officials held a ceremony Monday to unveil electric vehicle charging stations at the county's Department of General Services Fleet Services office in Rosemont, 4001 Branch Center Rd. The stations will provide free charges to the public until the end of 2013.

Although the county paid for the installations, the five units were provided by Coulomb Technologies, Inc. as part of the ChargePoint America program and through federal stimulus funds.

The two county charge stations are located at the Downtown Public Garage at 725 7th St. and on Branch Center Road, across the street from its Fleet Services office. There are three charging units downtown and two at the Branch Center Road location.

Two electric vehicles were on site to demonstrate how the stations work.

Mike Morse, director of General Services, said the charging stations were completed in June.

The charging stations are currently being funded by the ChargePoint America grant, a federal grant provided by the Department of Energy through the federal stimulus package. The goal is to provide the charges for free until the end of 2013, while collecting and reporting information to the federal government to help determine usage and demand for the future.

Once that period is up, Morse said the cost of a charge will probably be a flat fee of around $4, which he pointed out is still much cheaper than buying gas. Most electric vehicles with a full charge can drive 80 to 120 miles.

A ChargePoint account and card is required to access the charge ports. Accounts can be created online or at the charge sites.

“It’s kind of a theft deterrent,” said James Collins, chief of Sacramento County's Fleet Services. “The best thing is you can access the Internet and see what level of charge your car is at.”

It usually takes around three hours for an electric vehicle to get a full charge.

Collins pointed out the benefits of having a ChargePoint account for electric vehicle owners, calling it a network of electric vehicle services throughout the United States.

John Jaeger is a Sacramento County employee who owns an electric vehicle and said he uses the county-provided charging stations all of the time.

“The cost [of having an electric vehicle] is still manageable compared to the cost of gasoline,” Jaeger said.

He said it is still helpful even to let his electric vehicle get a 30 or 45-minute charge. The main thing Jaeger highlighted about owning an electric vehicle is the need to plan all trips around access to chargers.

The county charging stations do not require appointments and work on a first-come, first-serve basis. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

There is no fee for the downtown Sacramento charging station; however, beginning next year, users will need to pay the parking garage fee.