Electric Cars to Charge Up In Hermosa

Electric vehicle owners soon will be able to plug their cars into charging stations along the north side of Pier Avenue and at , the Hermosa Beach City Council has decided.

The panel unanimously agreed night to approve four locations in town where electric vehicle charging stations can be installed—three on Pier Avenue and one at the municipal building.

Hermosa Beach resident Dency Nelson, , told the council that he thought the locations "frankly, are perfect."

The city considered installing electric vehicle charging stations downtown during last year, but lacked sufficient information at the time regarding funding and availability, according to city staffers.

The city now has considered Coulomb Technologies to provide a local charging system. The design and installation of charging stations are expected to cost about $102,531 (see accompanying city staff report under photo).

Researchers predict that "the West Coast will be the highest penetration area for electric vehicles by 2017," Michael Jones of Coulomb Technologies told the council Tuesday, adding that he thinks the charging stations are "very important" in coastal communities, such as Hermosa Beach.

Jones said that charging an electric vehicle, such as the Nissan Leaf, would take motorists about an hour or two hours at the stations. A fully drained battery might take six hours to charge, he said.

City Manager Steve Burrell suggested that the three charging stations on Pier Avenue serve as 15-minute parking zones for any motorist when unoccupied.

Councilman Peter Tucker saw the charging stations as "great" opportunities "to promote our city and our goals of sustainability. I’m excited for this," he said at the meeting. "I think this is a first step to see if this really works."

What do you think about installing charging stations for electric vehicles in Hermosa Beach?