Fred Meyer Ballard Hits Home Run with EVSE

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Sep 22, 2011
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Over the last year we at EV Support have seen many EVSE installations, and many prospective EVSE locations.  There are quite a few more challenges to locating EV charging facilities than one might think, and most of them have to do with the cost of installing EVSE in the right place.  Use the best parking spots for EVs and you risk incurring the ire of gas guzzlers who think that they ought to be able to park there.

Put the EVSE at the location closest to the electrical source and you may relegate EV parking to a space adjacent to the trash dumpster.  If you need to cross a sidewalk or driving lane to get to that parking spot the cost goes up astronomically.

Given these challenges, the folks at Fred Meyer in Ballard, working with the Ecotality program, have definitely made the right choices for the long run.  The two Blink EVSE that were recently installed are at the front of the store, but not closest to the entrance, are near an electrical room, but required removal and replacement of sections of sidewalk to be installed at the parking spots.  They are adjacent to ADA parking spaces, as suggested by the accepted standards, but do not displace those spaces.

So, kudos to Fred Meyer for getting it right at the Ballard store.  Their installation serves as an example to managers of other retail locations of what to do to make the adoption of this technology attractive and painless.

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About The Author - Jeremy Smithson

Started Puget Sound Solar in 2001 with 30 years of construction contracting experience, and a desire to turn Seattle on to solar energy. Achieving NABCEP certification in 2004, Jeremy believes that our customers often follow a path similar to the one he took, starting out with solar daydreaming, then progressing to education on the subject, and eventually leading to action. In addition to leading the company he also does some teaching and speaking engagements about various aspects of solar energy, and experiments relentlessly with various solar, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle projects.

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