The Holland BPW is excited to announce that it was awarded 18 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) through a federal grant called the ChargePoint America program, http://www.chargepointamerica.com/. Two of the stations are installed on 8th Street in downtown Holland, and the remaining 16 have been installed around Holland in the following locations:
Holland City Hall 
Holland 7th Street Parking Ramp
Holland Chamber of Commerce
Holland Aquatic Center
Holland Amtrak Train/Greyhound Bus Station
Hope College Haworth Inn
Hope College Martha Miller Building
City Flats Hotel
Doubletree Hotel
Residence Inn Hotel
Holland BPW Service Center
Holland High School
Holland Christian High School
West Ottawa High School
Felch Street Shopping Plaza
Tulip City Airport
Electric Charging Station Q&A
Q: How do I locate a ChargePoint charging station?
A: ChargePoint lists all of its active charging stations on its website map at http://chargepointamerica.com/charging-find-stations.php. If you click on a charging station on the map, it will tell you the charging station Name, Address, Description, Current Status (Available, In Use, Future/Unavailable), Access level, Directions to station, and Price to charge.
Q: What are the steps to hook my electric vehicle up to the charging station?
A: All of the Holland BPW charging stations are Level 2. Instructions for Level 2 charging are below and are from ChargePoint America’s website at http://chargepointamerica.com/charging-how.php.
Level 2 Charging
Use this method to charge at 240 V by plugging the station's SAE J1772™ connector into your electric vehicle.
To start a charging session:
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1. Tap your ChargePass card on the station's reader symbol.
When your card is authorized, the station displays a message indicating you can remove the connector from the holster and plug it into your electric vehicle. |
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2. Remove the charging station's connector by pressing down on the button at the top of the handle while pulling the connector from its holster. Plug the connector into your electric vehicle.
The station displays a message indicating the vehicle is charging. |
To stop a charging session:
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1. Tap your ChargePass card on the station's reader symbol.
The station displays a message indicating that charging has finished and to return the connector to its holster. |
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2. Return the station's connector to its holster by pressing down on the button at the top of the handle while pulling the connector from your electric vehicle.
The station displays the charging duration and cost (if any) of your charging session. |
Q: Does it cost anything to charge my electric vehicle at a charging station? If so, how much?
A: It varies. Each Charging Station Host decides if it will charge a fee for use of a charging station. The price for a charge is listed in the station details on ChargePoint America’s “Finding Charging Stations” map at http://chargepointamerica.com/charging-find-stations.php. The current suggested price per charge in Michigan is $2.00, but many hosts are opting not to charge for use during an initial period of time. The Holland BPW Board voted to not charge for charging station use through Tulip Time 2011 (May 14, 2011), and is currently in discussion on future charges.
Q: What are my options for paying for and/or accessing use of a charging station?
A: There are two main ways to pay for and/or access the use of a charging station - either by “waving” a contactless card in front of the contactless card reader, or by calling in a credit card number to the toll free number listed on front of the station.
Contactless Cards
Contactless Cards contain an electronic chip that securely transmit your credit card/account information to the charging station through radio waves when it is within a few inches of the card reader. The ChargePoint charging stations currently accept the following 5 options for contactless credit cards:
ChargePass Smart Card. The ChargePass Smart Card can be obtained by creating a ChargePoint Network account at https://www.chargepointportal.net/index.php/authz/signup.html. There is a cost of $9.95 per card, and if you want to prepay into your account for stations that charge for use, there is a minimum $25 deposit. You can also opt to register for a card that allows access to only free charging stations, pay $9.95 for the card, and bypass the $25 deposit.
Visa. Details on how to obtain a Visa contactless card can be found at: http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/paywave/index.html
American Express. Details on how to obtain an American Express contactless card can be found at: https://www295.americanexpress.com/cards/loyalty.do?page=expresspay&module=2
Discover Zip. Details on how to obtain a Discover Zip contactless card can be found at: http://www.discovernetwork.com/paymentsolutions/features/zip.html
MasterCard Pay Pass: Details on how to obtain a MasterCard Pay Pass contactless card can be found at: http://www.mastercard.us/paypass.html#/home/
Calling in a Credit Card Number
You can also access a ChargePoint charging stations by calling the toll free number listed on the front of the station: 1-888-758-4389. Following the prompt for “wanting help using a charging station” will get you to a “live” customer service representative that can assist you. They will need to know:
1) Your location
2) Charging station name (which is displayed on the front of the charging station.
3) Your credit card number (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover) if applicable
The Customer Service Representative will then be able to “unlock” the station for your use.
Q: How long does it take to charge my electric vehicle battery at a charging station?
A: It depends on the charging station and your car battery. All of the 18 charging stations that the Holland BPW is receiving are Level 2 chargers, which require an average of 4-6 hours to FULLY recharge a car battery. It is anticipated, however, that for now, most electric vehicle owners will do most of their charging at home and use charging stations outside the home for shorter periods to keep the battery near full charge.