Downtown Charging Station is First of Its Kind Available for Public Use in Naperville

Downtown Electric Vehicle Charging Station Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony and
Raffle Drawing Taking Place Tuesday, October 16

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The City of Naperville will be holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 16 in the downtown Van Buren surface parking lot to introduce the City’s first electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) that will be available for public use.

The City will also use the event to announce the winners of the EVCS raffle conducted earlier this summer that will give away five residential electric charging stations to Naperville utility customers. City officials will be joined by representatives from area car dealerships that will showcase some of the electric vehicles that are currently being sold in the marketplace. Members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the ceremony that will be held at the northeast corner of the Van Buren surface parking lot located at Van Buren Avenue and Main Street.

“This electric vehicle charging station is a unique addition to our downtown area that will provide a convenient service for those who currently own electric vehicles or those who plan to own them in the near future,” City Manager Doug Krieger said. “The City is using the installation of this public charging station as a pilot project to monitor the unit’s popularity and usage – information that will help us further develop policies and long-term plans for future electric vehicle charging in Naperville.”

The Van Buren electric vehicle charging station is a Level 2 charger that will allow users to partially recharge their vehicles up to three hours while shopping and/or dining. This downtown location will also serve as a great promotional opportunity for downtown businesses and the Downtown Naperville Alliance (DNA). “We’re pleased the City is using the downtown to promote and evaluate the City’s response to public electric vehicle charging stations,” Downtown Naperville Alliance Representative Steve Rubin said. “We look at this as another amenity that can benefit patrons who frequent our downtown businesses.”

Electric vehicles must be charging to use the parking space and they can charge up to three hours per City ordinance. The parking space is not allowed to be used by any vehicle that is not an electric vehicle, and the parking space has been designated a tow zone for violations of City ordinance. In addition to introducing the new charging station to the public, the City will use the ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the winners of the residential EVCS raffle held earlier this summer.

The City will conduct a raffle drawing for five residential electric vehicle charging stations to utility customers. One 240-VAC electric vehicle charging station will be raffled off to accommodate each of the three major electric vehicles currently available: the Chevy Volt, the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla. Two additional indoor charging stations will be raffled off that can be used for any one of the above mentioned vehicles or other electric vehicles that will meet pre-determined compatibility requirements.

The charging stations being raffled off were obtained by the City as part of its federal matching grant for the Naperville Smart Grid Initiative (NSGI). The stations will allow the City to assess the impact of these vehicles on Naperville’s electric grid as well as develop installation practices and standards while allowing customers an opportunity to evaluate how best to incorporate this type of device within their home. In addition, the stations will allow the Department of Public Utilities-Electric (DPU-E) to evaluate specially designed electric rates for these charging stations. For more information on the City of Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us.