Batavia may install electric car charger at government center

Drivers of electric vehicles may soon be able to recharge them at a station at the Batavia Government Center.

Aldermen on Tuesday preliminarily approved installing a Level II, 240-volt charger in the parking lot between the building and the Riverwalk.

The city and the Batavia Park District have been upgrading electrical service for the Riverwalk area, which led to the idea of adding the station.

Public works director Gary Holm told aldermen at the committee-of-the-whole meeting it would cost a little less than $15,000 to buy the charger, have it installed, get a two-year warranty and sign a three-year contract for maintenance, updates and administration.

Holm recommended contracting with the ChargePoint network. It would advertise the space availability, upgrade the charger, and collect the money users pay.

Drivers would pay via credit card, and ChargePoint would keep 10 percent of the amount.

The city has not yet figured out how much to bill people. A charger at a hotel at the Aurora Transportation Center charges 49 cents per kilowatt hour; one at the Kane County Government Center charges 30 cents. The intent would for the charger to be self-supporting, Holm said.

The council will take a binding vote on the contract with ChargePoint, as well as the purchase and installation contracts with Carbon Day Automotive and Advanced Data Technologies, on Nov. 6.

It would be an unbudgeted expense, but Holm said there is enough money in the Electric Enterprise Fund to do it.