Colwood business first on West Shore to offer electric vehicle charging
A Colwood business has installed the West ShoreB次元官网网址檚 first public electric vehicle charging station, one fed by the sun no less.
Members of the community and electric car enthusiasts descended on Royal Bay Bakery on Tuesday to enjoy treats and celebrate the installation of the station.
The charging station is for any member of the public who wants to B次元官网网址渇uel upB次元官网网址� their electric vehicle for free while they fuel up themselves in the Metchosin Road bakery.
Six photovoltaic panels on the bakeryB次元官网网址檚 roof power the station, and the bakery, as part of an overall system of clean energy installed by owner David Grove.
B次元官网网址淚 know that this sunlight here is actually (powering) the interior of that building,B次元官网网址� Grove said standing outside his bakery, on a sunny afternoon. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 something about that thatB次元官网网址檚 so elegant that I canB次元官网网址檛 resist it.B次元官网网址�
When he bought a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle last fall, Grove fulfilled a lifelong dream. When he was 14, Grove fell in love with the concept and even got a book on how to build an electric car.
The vehicles can be plugged into standard 120 volt outlets, but GroveB次元官网网址檚 level 2 charging station, at 240 volts, provides a much faster charge.
One hour of charging equals about 30 kilometres of range. Grove estimates the panels will produce about 7,000 kilometres of range for a vehicle in a given year.
B次元官网网址淭hese new electric vehicles theyB次元官网网址檝e got out now in this generation, they just seem to have nailed it,B次元官网网址� Grove said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a real car, theyB次元官网网址檙e efficient and theyB次元官网网址檙e worthwhile. I can make it happen, the numbers work.B次元官网网址�
Grove paid the $6,000 for the solar panels out of his own pocket and paid for half of the vehicle charging station, at $500. The other $500 came from the Solar Colwood initiative through the City of Colwood.
Through some quick math, Grove figures the panels help him to bake about 30 dozen small cookies per day, or 10 loaves of bread.
The City itself, funded through Solar Colwood, is looking to build three public charging stations this year. GroveB次元官网网址檚 station is the fifth in Victoria according to plugshare.com.
Electric car owners in Greater Victoria have formed an informal club through email and members regularly meet and go on cruises.
A few members showed up for GroveB次元官网网址檚 unveiling of the charging station, including Fred Wissemann from Saanich, the groupB次元官网网址檚 unofficial president.
Wissemann bought his Leaf vehicle nearly four months ago and has put 4,000 kilometres on it.
He said he bought it first for reasons of economy and second for reasons of ecology. He believes society is at a point now where it makes financial sense to buy an electric vehicle and he has plans to complete the loop by buying solar panels.
B次元官网网址淚 will never, as long as I live, buy another gas car,B次元官网网址� Wissemann said. B次元官网网址淚t drives better than any car that IB次元官网网址檝e owned, and IB次元官网网址檝e owned quite a few. ItB次元官网网址檚 fantastic.B次元官网网址�
Grove said with a laugh that his employees under 25 think that itB次元官网网址檚 a great idea and a B次元官网网址渘o brainer.B次元官网网址� Anyone over 25 usually wants to know what the pay back time is.
Pay back is somewhat beside the point, Grove shrugged, but when tied to charging an electric vehicle, considering the price of gas, he figures the solar panels will pay for themselves in 10 years.
B次元官网网址淚n a sense what IB次元官网网址檓 doing is IB次元官网网址檓 buying my next 10 years of energy costs ahead,B次元官网网址� Grove said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 like IB次元官网网址檓 buying an energy contract for $6,000. IB次元官网网址檓 booking that energy use for the next 10 years at a fixed price.B次元官网网址�
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