Public-use fast charging station opens in Portland, Oregon

August 6, 2010

Oregon’s largest utility, Portland General Electric (PGE), has opened one of the nation’s first public-use fast charging stations for electric vehicles.

The company worked with IT company NEC Corporation to put in the charging station at the PGE headquarters in Portland.

The 50-kilowatt charging station was manufactured by NEC-subsidiary Takasago Ltd, and according to the utility takes just 20 to 30 minutes to recharge a battery to 80% of full strength.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski officially opened the facility yesterday, charging up an all-electric Nissan LEAF as part of a two-day LEAF test event at PGE.

“Quick-charging stations are an exciting advancement in our effort to bring electric vehicles to Oregon,” said Gov. Kulongoski.

“By making charging convenient and available for public use, we are telling car manufacturers that Oregon is ready for the next generation of electric vehicles — and we want our state to be a leader in introducing these cars to the rest of the country.”

PGE has been working with Portland State University and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium to document the acquisition, installation, certification and testing procedures for the quick charger, and is to release findings in September.

Jim Piro, president and CEO for PGE said: “With the addition of the Takasago Rapid Charging Station to the growing network of EV charging stations in Oregon, we are able to further our research on how this new technology will interact with our electrical system and support our EV-driving customers.”?