Anchorage drivers now have access to a new public charging station for electric vehicles.
The Anchorage Community Development Authority installed the 240-volt EV charger in an EasyPark garage at 7th Avenue and G Street last week, according to Executive Director Andrew Halcro. Halcro said it’s the latest step in a two-and-a-half year process of evaluating customer demands and modernizing EasyPark facilities. The organization has invested in a variety of amenities designed to serve drivers in new ways, from lighting to rooftop recreation spaces, he said.
“The EV station is really something that we recognized that brings people into the garage — we’ve noticed really an increase in the amount of electric vehicles that come into the garage, and those that park and hold monthly permits,” Halcro said. “We feel that this is just another way to get people into our garages and make them feel comfortable.”
The charger itself cost less than $500 at Home Depot, Halcro said. He said the signage and electrical systems were installed by existing EasyPark staff. The numbers penciled out.
The new public charging station is the first in Downtown Anchorage, and one of just a few such chargers in Alaska. Depending on the reception, Halcro said, there might be more on the horizon.
“If there are signs that the utilization and the demand is high, we will definitely expand them, because they are affordable, and it’s a great competitive advantage,” he said.
Cleaning up our act in 2019. @EasyParkAK pic.twitter.com/TgdclEyd5V
— Andrew Halcro (@AndrewHalcro) December 27, 2018
Kirsten Swann is a producer and reporter for Alaska Public Media.
