The installation was recently celebrated at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, where two electric vehicle charging stations are open for public use. This is the first set of chargers that will be locally controlled, affordable, and economically sustainable in the North Coast region.
Other charging stations were installed at libraries, museums, city halls, theaters, and shopping centers in Ferndale, Trinidad, Willow Creek, Fortuna, McKinleyville, Arcata, and Rio Dell. The project is supported by a non-profit electric vehicle infrastructure network that will help maintain the administration and operation of the chargers.
To date, the Energy Commission's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program has funded more than 7,400 electric vehicle chargers throughout the state. Level 2 chargers allow drivers to fully charge depleted vehicles within four to eight hours.
California is committed to providing an infrastructure that will encourage motorists to switch from polluting fossil fuel vehicles to cars that don�t pollute, keep our air healthier, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that heat the earth to unsustainable levels.
The state's transportation system is responsible for 37 percent of California's greenhouse gases, which is why Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. has set a goal of getting 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on California roads by 2025.
The Redwood Coast Energy Authority is experimenting with ways to ensure that zero-emission vehicle drivers are efficiently using the parking spaces where the chargers are installed.
