(Photos: Scott Ewing)
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) has installed a solar canopy charging station for electric vehicles. The station includes infrastructure for charging e-bikes, and according to OMSI, it’s the first such facility in North America to provide “a solution for the increasing use of alternative transportation.”
OMSI partnered with Portland General Electric, Sanyo (for the solar panels) and InSpec Group (for design) on the project. Mayor Sam Adams, fresh of presiding over the adoption of a wide-ranging electric vehicle report last week, said of the project; “It’s a model for how we can deliver economic prosperity and sustainability side-by-side.”
The “solar canopy” is located in OMSI’s south parking lot and features weatherproof lockers each with 120V AC outlets. There are also bike racks with charging bays for Sanyo’s eneloop e-bike (I assume other bikes can be charged here too, but I’m not totally clear on that). Sanyo has also given OMSI three e-bikes as part of the project.
For more details, see the press release from OMSI.