This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake City soon will offer drivers more than five times as many electric-charge ports — but their free rides are nearly over.
Five city charge stations are being retrofitted so that each has at least two hoses, and six new stations are expected to be operational by early February at the Fairmont Aquatic Center, Hogle Zoo, the Sorenson Multicultural Center, International Peace Gardens, Pioneer Park and Sugar House's Wilmington Avenue. The total number of Level 2 ports will jump from five to 28.
Some drivers may be less than amped, though, to hear that newly installed software allows the stations to charge in more ways than one. A fee schedule already on the books calls for users to pay $1 to connect and 10 cents per kilowatt hour at Level 2 stations, and $2 to connect and 20 cents per kilowatt hour at the city's fast-charging station near The Leonardo at 255 E. 500 South.
Until now, the slower Level 2 stations simply weren't capable of taking your money. An electric car bought you a free spot downtown and a free line into the city grid.
Sustainability Program Manager Tyler Poulson said the fee is designed to cover the cost of electricity, maintenance, cellular connection and a 10 percent transaction fee to the service provider, ChargePoint.
Poulson said the city may come in under budget for installation — paid for with a $200,000 grant from the Utah Division of Air Quality and $115,000 from city funds — and extend complimentary power for an unknown period to encourage use.
But former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson said any eventual fee works against current Mayor Jackie Biskupski's stated goal of cleaning up the city's air. Anderson bought an electric car largely because of the convenience of downtown stations, and he said he won't fiddle with what he considers to be an unintuitive digital interface.
Anderson said he saw workers tearing out the old 55 E. 300 South station and asked one of them why it needed to be replaced.
"He said, 'Because we're putting stations in that people will have to pay for,' " Anderson said. "This is just another one of those times when government could be doing the right thing through public policy and incentivizing people to utilize clean, efficient-energy sources, and yet it looks like the Biskupski administration is doing just the opposite."
Anderson added it was "unbelievably inconvenient" that the transaction screens are already turned on, tricking drivers into thinking the stations are available for use as they're walked through a series of futile directions.
Thursday, Scott Wertz sat inside his Nissan Leaf at 159 S. Main St. and downloaded an app so he could recharge during a nearby meeting.
His download completed, he tried to follow ChargePoint's on-screen instructions until he was eventually referred to some unavailable manual.
It was Wertz's first time trying to use a city station, and he was running late to his meeting.
Still, he said, it will be "nice," when they're working, to have more stations downtown.
City officials said the contractors finished installation earlier than expected and that they would put up signs soon that would spare others Wertz's frustration.
Electric-car drivers can sign up for a ChargePoint card or download the mobile app at chargepoint.com. Through the app, users can be notified when their car is fully charged or if charging has been interrupted.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Salt Lake City's charging station portfolio
Fast-charge station • 255 E. 500 South (two ports) — open now, costs $2 to connect and 20 cents per kilowatt hour.
Retrofitted Level 2 stations • 210 E. 400 South (six total ports in Library Square parking garage), 55 E. 300 South (two ports), 159 S. Main St. (two ports), 600 East 900 South (four ports at Liberty Park), 2375 S. 900 East (two ports at Forest Dale Golf Course) — open in early February, costs $1 to connect and 10 cents per kilowatt hour.
New Level 2 stations • 1044 E. Sugarmont Drive (two ports at Fairmont Aquatic Center), 1170 E. Wilmington Ave. (two ports), 2600 Sunnyside Ave. (two ports at Hogle Zoo, east of Hawk Crosswalk), 855 W. California Ave. (two ports at the Sorenson Multicultural Center), 1060 S. 900 West (two ports at International Peace Gardens), 250 W. 300 South (two ports at Pioneer Park) — open in early February, costs $1 to connect and 10 cents per kilowatt hour.
Note • A map of Salt Lake City's public and private stations is available at http://www.plugshare.com.