JUNE 20, 2012

Cave Creek gets three Blink EV stations

CAVE CREEK – Thanks to a Department of Energy (DOE) grant, Cave Creek now has three new Blink charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) installed at town hall. The charging stations were installed by ECOTality, the company contracted by the DOE to install the charging stations in test markets throughout the country. The electricity used by the chargers is paid for by the program through tax dollars, making the charging free to EV owners.

While Town Manager Usama Abujbarah doesn’t believe the chargers will get much use initially, he said, as gas prices rise and more residents purchase EVs, “We want the town to be ready.”

Patrick Grady, chair of Green Cave Creek, a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting energy conservation and community sustainability, called the installation a “huge step in the right direction,” one that shows the town “is ahead of the curve when it comes to supporting alternative transportation technologies.”

Mike Rigney, the town’s sustainability coordinator, noted one of the charges is dedicated to EV drivers with physical disabilities and said, “We look forward to the day when all three chargers are in constant use and EVs are as common as hybrids are today.”