The City of Martinez has installed ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles (EV). The three stations, manufactured by Coulomb Technologies, the leader in EV charging station infrastructure, are located in and around downtown Martinez, including one at City Hall located at 525 Henrietta Street; one at the Amtrak Station located at 601 Marina Vista Avenue; and one at the corner of Main and Court streets. Funding for the three stations was made possible through Measure C funding supplied by 511 Contra Costa and approved by TRANSPAC (the regional transportation planning committee providing program oversight to 511 Contra Costa). The Measure C funds are ½ cent sales tax for transportation improvement projects collected through the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and used to deliver local projects and programs.
The Martinez charging stations can charge at both Level 1 (120V) and Level 2 (240V) capacity. The stations are available for use by consumers for their personal electric vehicles, as well as by City personnel to charge the City’s fleet of four electric vehicles used for transporting staff in the downtown area. Vehicles currently being sold that can use these charging stations include the Prius plug-in hybrid, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, BMW Mini E, Tesla Roadster, Triac by Green Vehicles, Wheego, and the GEM (Global Electric Motorcar).
Installing the EV charging stations was important to the City of Martinez because it demonstrates support for cleaner transportation. Non-highway vehicle emissions accounted for almost 50% of the City’s overall greenhouse gas emissions in 2005. Affording the public convenient and accessible ways to utilize transportation options more friendly to the environment, such as charging stations for electric vehicles, is essential to the overall process of reducing the City’s carbon footprint and supports the goals of the City’s adopted Climate Action Plan.
The network of electric vehicle charging stations is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a toll free call to the 24/7 support number 1-877-370-3802, or by signing up for a ChargePoint Network monthly access plan and obtaining a ChargePass™ smart card. To locate available charging stations and check their status, visit mychargepoint.net and click "Find Stations." To sign up for a ChargePass™ smart card, simply visit http://www.mychargepoint.net/charge-pass.php and set up an account. The charge stations are currently free of charge, but the City plans to transition to a charge of $2 per session in the coming months. More information will be provided when the City has determined the timeframe.Please contact evcharging@cityofmartinez.org with any questions or comments about the stations.
