SMUD unveils fast-charge station for electric vehicles along I-80Jun 3 - McClatchy-Tribune Content Agency, LLC - Bill Lindelof The Sacramento BeeSMUD is activating its second electric vehicle fast-charge station in the Sacramento region Wednesday to quell "range anxiety." The new station, which accommodates most types of EVs, is one of the first stations in the country installed by a utility, according to SMUD. SMUD earlier opened the first fast-charge station in the region at the utility's headquarters in the 6200 block of S Street. The new station is at 7825 Lichen Drive next to a Raley's supermarket parking lot in Citrus Heights along Interstate 80. Drivers can charge up to 80 percent of their car's battery in fewer than 30 minutes. The cost of gas in the state is about $3.70. According to SMUD, the equivalent cost-per-gallon of an electric vehicle on a fast-charger is around $2 a gallon. SMUD is installing and operating EV fast charges so that motorists don't have to be anxious about running out of juice while on the road. When EV drivers do the charging at home, after midnight, they pay around 60 cents equivalent per gallon, according to a SMUD press release. SMUD began offering special electric vehicle rates in 1993. The utility expanded the program two years ago with two new rates that give electric vehicle owners a chance to save money by charging at off-peak electric times -- usually between midnight and 2 a.m. Bill Lindelof: (916) 321-1079, @Lindelofnews http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=36375489 |