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7:55 PM: BPU Grant To Fund Electric Vehicle Charging Station

A car using the electric vehicle charging station located at the Cherry Street Parking Ramp. The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities received a grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation for a direct current fast charger station that will be installed at the city parking lot located at the corner of Fourth and Lafayette streets. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

An electric vehicle charging station that significantly decreases the time it takes to charge a battery will be installed in downtown Jamestown later this summer.

On Monday, the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities discussed the agreement to purchase a direct current fast charger station for $35,834, which will also include software and technical support. David Leathers, BPU general manager, said the station will be installed at the city parking lot located at the corner of Fourth and Lafayette streets. He said the BPU earlier this year received a grant for around $30,000 from the state Department of Environmental Conservation for the charging station. He added that BPU officials are also working on installing signage to notify people of the charging station, which will also be identifiable through smart phone apps.

Leathers said the current electric vehicle charging stations located in the city — Cherry Street Parking Ramp, Jamestown Community College and the North Main Street Extension “Park and Ride” — take about six hours to charge a batter. However, the new direct current electric vehicle station will only take around 30 minutes to charge a battery.

A typical electric car battery will travel about 300 miles in the summer and around 180 miles in the winter, which is dependent on the use of the car’s heater and air conditioning, before needing a charge, Leathers said. He said the new machine will have duel heads so two car batteries can charge at the same time.

Situated at the edge of the central business district of Jamestown, the parking lot at Fourth and Lafayette streets is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is accessible at all hours. The new quick charging machine is expected to arrive in Jamestown in August. A charging session will require payment at the station.

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