By Patrick Donges
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-967346.mp3
Pittsfield, MA – The Western Massachusetts Electric Company announced at a press conference in Springfield Tuesday that Pittsfield would become one of three locations equipped with charging equipment as part of a research project sponsored by their parent company Northeast Utilities.
Company spokeswoman Sandra Ahern said Thursday that the company is working with Mayor James Ruberto's office on a location for the station, which she said is expected to be determined by the end of the month. Installation of the station will take less than a week once a location has been found.
Charging stations have already been installed at the company's technology park headquarters in Springfield and the Courtyard Marriot Hotel in Hadley. The charges will be offered for free during the duration of the research project.
WMECo president and chief operating officer Peter Clarke said the stations will provide the company with specific data on how customers use and interact with their vehicles.
"We'll gather some reconnaissance, which will inform our decisions in working with our customers and cities in terms of how to spread the charging infrastructure out in advance of deployment of the vehicles."
The company will also be testing the 100 percent electric Chevrolet Volt in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute. Watson Collins is WMECo's manager of business development and is heading the company's electric vehicle project.
"The cars are ready for prime-time, what we're learning about is how consumers want to have access to recharge their car. Do they want to top off their car all the time, do they use them like gasoline cars where you run them down and have a full recharge? That's what we want to learn."
Collins said that while it's expected that electric vehicle owners will primarily charge their cars at home, the project will aim to determine the best locations for interim charging stations, and how many stations will be required.
"We also see a lot of businesses; parking garages, hotels, shopping malls. They want to have this as an attraction for their customers to come to their locations."
Northeast Utilities has also begun a "Plug My Ride" marketing campaign to raise public awareness and interest in electric vehicles. Collins said there are only about a few dozen plug-in electric cars currently registered in the company's service area.
Pierre Beauchamp, sales manager at Central Chevrolet in West Springfield, said the installation of charging stations will be good for consumers and therefore good for the sales of electric vehicles.
"They now have avenues to plug these vehicles in and have a sense that the economy and everyone is behind them to buy these cars and to be more conscientious."
"They're trying to do the right thing and get better gas mileage, but if they don't see that there are avenues for them to maintain this and keep things going then they might be a little apprehensive to do so. So it's a great step to show that everybody is on board."
The dealership is currently in the process of installing its own charging station and training staff to charge the Volt.
They are set to receive a model Volt in the coming weeks, a sign Beauchamp said that electric cars are coming, and when they get here they will be here to stay.