Town of Coupeville eyes electric vehicle charging stations

Coupeville officials are looking into adding electric vehicle chargers at the community green.

The municipal parking lot was updated this summer to include infrastructure for vehicle charging stations.

Mayor Molly Hughes last week met with representatives from National Car Charging and Charge Point to research the units, according to a memo to town council.

She is considering leasing two chargers with four ports from Charge Point for $4,320 per year. Users would pay a fee to charge their vehicles.

The town would likely go with “level 2” chargers, which average 25- to 30-mile charge per hour depending on the age and model of the vehicle.

The Town of Coupeville will also be responsible for installation of the units.

If the new electrical panels in the historic Holbrook Barn, now located at the municipal parking lot, have enough power, the cost should be around $1,500 per unit, Hughes said.

Hughes recommended to council that the cost be paid for with lodging tax revenue, called the 2 percent fund, which is earmarked for tourism promotion.

The fund has a reserve balance, so annual 2 percent tourism grants would not need to be reduced, she said.

“After we have the chargers for a couple of years and have received good information about their use, we can re-evaluate using tourism dollars,” Hughes wrote.

The company that owns the units can provide reports on total hours used, peak usage, average time on each port, revenue collected and price charged.

Charge Points keeps a 10 percent administrative fee and sends the town a check for the remaining revenue.