Will Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Give Businesses a Jolt?

Donn Davey bought his electric vehicle a year ago and loves passing gas stations as the prices creep up to $4.20, $4.30, $4.40 per gallon and beyond. His plug-in Nissan Leaf hums past those pumps and gets re-energized at home or at charging stations.

So Davey, a Novato resident and vice president of Sustainable Novato, was happy to hear that the Novato City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to install six grant-funded electric vehicle charging stations on city property as part of a pilot program.

"That's a win-win-win," he said after learning of the approval and that the stations are funded almost entirely by grant money. "It's laudable. Good for them."

Based on public input, the city staff recommended two EV charging stations at the Zenk lot (on Reichert Avenue behind Grant Avenue businesses), two outside of , one outside the / and one outside the .

The council favored the Zenk lot and gymnastics/teen center locations, but suggested changes to spots for the ones in front of and in downtown Hamilton. The city hall site was deemed inappropriate because of all the civic functions that take place on Sherman Avenue; one car taking up a charging spot for long hours didn't sit well with the council, and it wouldn't fit in well with the old-town look of city hall.

At Hamilton, the spot proposed by city staff — a small lot in front of the now-closed— was nixed in favor of a lot across the street, closer to the and the long-closed .

The council voted 5-0 to support the motion made by Councilwoman Pat Eklund, who added, "Frankly I'm really excited. I do not want Novato to be behind. I want Novato be the leader in this county and in the state with electric vehicles."

"We do need to send a message," Mayor Denise Athas said. "It's important to keep in mind that we're encouraging people to buy these vehicles and reduce emissions."

Several EV owners spoke at the meeting and reminded the council that drivers all over the Bay Area make note of charging station locations, designing their trips around plug-in opportunities. Having the stations near business districts can result in a nice boost in for shops and restaurants, several speakers said.

"As a driver, the specific location hardly matters — just the neighborhood, the general area," Davey said.

All the money comes from national and regional grants except for the charger wireless network fee, which is expected to run $2,040 in the first year. Cost estimates for the annual electric bill for the chargers is $500 to $2,000. The most recent city budget included $15,000 for the EV charger program.

Councilman Eric Lucan said he understood the hesitation of having stations right next to city hall on Sherman because of aesthetic concerns, "but I actually like the message that it sends as far as where we're going and making way for this new technology."

Councilwoman Jeanne MacLeamy mentioned that one of Novato's marketing mottos is "live work and play in Novato." She suggested, "Maybe we can change it to 'Live, Work, Play and Get Charged in Novato."