Deerfield-News.com-Deerfield Beach, Fl-From the city of Boca Raton.-
FPL to Install New Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Boca Raton
The City of Boca Raton announced its partnership with Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) in a new pilot program that includes the installation of nine electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at seven public locations throughout the City. The stations can charge two cars at a time and the charging stations are free to all users. The City currently has free EV charging stations at City Hall, the Downtown Library and the Spanish River Library. Those stations will be upgraded to include the new EVolution equipment, and four new locations will be added, including: Spanish River Park, Red Reef Park, South Beach Park and the City’s Municipal Services Building.
“We’re excited to bring these EV charging stations across the City of Boca Raton and partner in their commitment to sustainability,” said Anuj Chokshi, Project Director of Development for the FPL EVolution program. “These charging ports are also helping FPL to keep driving the electrification of Florida’s transportation.”
“Staff is excited to partner with FP&L to update existing EV charging stations and add stations around the City,” said Zach Bihr, Municipal Services Director for the City. “Electric vehicle development and adoption continues to progress. This program is a great way to understand how residents utilize public charging stations over time. This will also provide information on how best to serve the community as more drivers choose electric vehicles.”
The program will increase the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and provide valuable information about emerging “Vehicle-to-Grid” technology as well as fulfill the need of limited charging stations in the area. The level two, dual charging stations will incrementally charge EVs while drivers are visiting areas around the City. The stations can provide 20 – 30 miles of range per hour.
“Greenhouse gases from transportation represent over a third of city-wide GHG emissions in Boca Raton,” noted Lindsey Nieratka, Sustainability Manager for the City. “Moving towards electric vehicles in the community and in the City fleet is essential to reducing those emissions. Increasing charging availability is one of the first steps to encouraging EV adoption and, along with the City’s electric vehicle ordinances, public charging stations will help more residents and visitors to the City choose an EV for their next vehicle while also providing a service to existing EV owners.”
EV drivers can download the FPL EVolution app to find and navigate the closest FPL charging station. The app will reroute users to the selected station where drivers will scan a code and connect their EV to the station to begin charging. The app will also provide users with port availability, outages, charging history, trends, nearby amenities and more.
FPL plans to install more than 1,000 charging stations in more than 100 locations across Florida including public parks, shopping malls and some of the large companies that employ thousands of Florida residents. Charging stations have already been installed in Boca Raton at Office Depot, Inc., SBA Communications and Mutual of America. The program will increase the number of EV charging stations throughout Florida by 50 percent through a growing 800-mile network.
