Lake County makes car chargers available to public
Drivers of electric cars can get a free boost at either of two available charging stations operated by Lake County as part of a test program.
The Lake County Board on Tuesday authorized a fee for the service, but set the amount at zero to start to get a sense of who might use the program and how it will work.
"What we recommended and they approved was we do a pilot (program) for the next year," said Amy McEwan, deputy county administrator. "We think it's going to take awhile to grow usage."
As part of a larger sustainability initiative and to diversify its energy base, the county has purchased three Nissan LEAF electric cars as replacements for sedans that were being retired from the county fleet, and three charging stations. Two of the three stations have been installed at the Central Permit Facility, 500 W. Winchester Road, Libertyville, and the Lake County Health Department, 3010 Grand Ave., Waukegan. The third will be installed at the county administration building in Waukegan. All are equipped with two charging ports.
"We wanted them spread out a bit so they would meet the needs of the general public as well as the staff," McEwan said.
Members of the public can use the chargers for up to two hours, which isn't enough to fully charge a vehicle.
"Most people are not coming to these stations empty, they're just topping off," said K.C. Doyle, the county's sustainability coordinator. The LEAF has a range of 84 miles.
The cost of offering the free service is expected to be less than $350 a year, which is part of the reason county officials agreed to waive the fee to start. McEwan said it will be an opportunity to inform and educate customers.
"I don't really know there will be a lot of use and how convenient it will be," board member Bonnie Thomson Carter said.
Doyle said the county is a member of ChargePoint Inc., a network that allows drivers to swipe a card to gain access to the chargers. Electric vehicles have onboard computers that allow drivers to find charging stations.
She estimated there were 30 to 50 charging stations in Lake County, but was uncertain how many were public. According to ChargePoint, which has more than 23,500 charging spots in the U.S., there area about 6,500 electric vehicles in the Chicago area and more than 800 of its charging stations.
"We know by the year 2020 about 8 percent of the regional car population will be electric," Doyle said.
Mundelein, for example, has a charging station at its village hall, which opened last summer, and Libertyville will incorporate one or more chargers in a new downtown parking garage that is in the design stage.
Pete Schubkegel, Mundelein's building director, said the station was included as part of the village hall construction project, and it's used about once a week. A location and electrical piping is in place should use someday warrant a second charger, he added.
McEwan said the county has received several calls from businesses about the program.
"We feel this pilot program will speak to a number of different entities that may be thinking about the same things," Doyle said.