Will You Be Charging Your Car In Wayne?

Less than one year after the Chevrolet Volt went on sale in the United States, Community Energy has plans to install an electrical charging system in Wayne.

The idea is that the charging system would be contained in a parking spot next to the . Users would park in this electric vehicles-only spot while their cars recharged using power from the Senior Center building, which is owned by Radnor Township.

“We don’t know for a fact how many people in Wayne drive electric cars,” said Jay Carlis, vice president of the retail division of Radnor-based Community Energy. There is, however, “a small group of electric vehicle aficionados who have retrofitted their own vehicles," he said.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Chevy Volt has an official all-electric range of 35 miles (56 km) and a total range of 379 miles (610 km). It was the first hybrid electric vehicle available in the US, with similar models slated for release in 2011 and 2012 by Ford, Volvo, Suzuki, Audi, and Toyota. These cars use no fossil fuel when running on electricity.

Carlis believes that it’s a “chicken and egg situation,” and that hopefully “when people see this charging station it will encourage them to purchase [an electric car].”

Currently, there is only one such station in the Philadelphia area, on Columbus Boulevard.

“The township is setting aside one spot to establish itself as a leader and help accelerate the deployment of this technology,” said Carlis. The cost is not yet defined because the electrical contractor has not been fully contracted. Community Energy has received a state grant that will help cover some of the cost.

For consumers, charging a vehicle is less expensive than gasoline. However, the Chevy Volt costs about $40,000—a hefty sum when compared the estimated $30,000 cost of a new car in 2010, according a figure from auto-research site TrueCar.com.

There was no opposition to the charging system at township meetings, Carlis said.

“We started at the Environmental Action Committee level, and they were very engaged in the discussion,” he said. They voted unanimously to recommend the charging system to the commission.

The commissioners also voted unanimously for the charging system.

“They wanted to make sure that this was going to be revenue neutral to the township,” said Carlis, “which it will be.”

Community Energy is working out details with township staff and hopes to have the system up and running within the next few months.

“This has incredible potential to protect our environment and secure our energy future,” said Carlis. “If we want an entirely carbon- and fuel-free future, which some people want and maybe others don’t see the importance of, electric vehicles are a pathway.”

A twelve-year-old Radnor-based company, Community Energy is dedicated to “leading renewable energy development” and selling wind and solar energy.