Charging into the Future: Electric Vehicle Recharging Stations

A Honda Fit recharging at Montauk Manor.Have you noticed the increase in hybrid and electric vehicle ownership? Originally invented in the 1800s (yes, the 1800s!), electric cars were outnumbered quickly by gasoline powered vehicles after Henry Ford debuted his affordable, mass produced Model T. A brief attempt at a revival happened in the 1970s during the gasoline crisis. Only now, with an emphasis on the environment, pollution, reducing our carbon footprint, rising fuel costs, and recognition of the finite nature of fossil fuels, have electric vehicles come back into popularity and are gaining steam.

Electric vehicle (EV) ownership is on the rise. Some benefits of electric cars are no tailpipe emissions, lower fuel and maintenance costs, and tax breaks. Here on Long Island, you can use the HOV lane with a Clean Pass sticker, which  you can get if your vehicle’s “…US EPA fuel economy rating averages at least 45 miles per gallon and meets the California Air Resources Board SULEV emissions standard…”  according to New York’s Clean Pass Program. Many electric and hybrid vehicles qualify, but check the website for the full list of approved cars. Electric vehicle’s overall mileage ranges aren’t as high as a gasoline powered car or hybrid (yet!) and you need to be able to charge while on the road. Even in a gasoline powered car, you need to refuel. Gas stations are ubiquitous, but charging stations are more difficult to come by. Most electric vehicle owner’s charge at home or at work, but what do you do when you’re on the road?

We are excited to be participating in creating a sustainable future and helping our clients move to the forefront of energy efficiency by installing state of the art charging stations in various Long Island locations for their customers. Some of our forward thinking clients are energized by the idea of providing electric charging services for their customers. This past fall we had the opportunity to design and install Electric Vehicle Parking/Charging Stations at two locations. One station is at the historic Montauk Manor, a resort in Montauk, NY, and the other is at a popular retailer, Bottle Buys, in Glen Head.

A sustainable addition to an existing parking area.Montauk Manor, at the very eastern end of Long Island, had no nearby charging stations open to the public at the time we installed the charging station. A guest of the resort has complimentary use of the charging station but anyone from the public may come by and purchase charging time to recharge their electric car’s battery.

At Bottle Buys in Glen Head, charge while you shop. Only a few miles from the Long Island Expressway and the Northern State Parkway, you can grab a nice bottle of wine for dinner on your way home from work while you charge your car.

Are you interested in reducing your carbon footprint? Have you bought an electric vehicle or know someone who has? Are you the owner of a business that would like to install a charging station? Talk to us about how to move ahead with EV charging stations and other sustainable landscape solutions.

Written by: Ashley Palko Haugsjaa