North America's first public-use quick-charge station opens in Portland: 3-handed politician not included
By Thomas Ricker 
posted August 6th 2010 6:25AM
posted August 6th 2010 6:25AM
Update: We're being told that the quick charge station is installed in a public parking garage that is part of the World Trade Center building in downtown Portland (where PGE's headquarters are). It costs $3 to park, but charging is on the house. Thanks, Chris!
Portland General Electric opens North America's first public-use quick-charge station for electric vehicles in collaboration with NEC Electric vehicles can charge up in 20 to 30 minutes
*** For immediate use August 5, 2010
PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR), Oregon's largest utility, and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701), a leading network, communications and information technology company, announced today they have opened North America's first public-use, quick-charge station for electric vehicles.
The station was awarded public-use certification by the City of Portland following the successful installation and testing of the station manufactured by Takasago Ltd., a subsidiary of NEC, at the PGE headquarters in the Two World Trade Center parking garage, 121 SW Salmon St, Portland, Ore. The Takasago Rapid Charging Station is specialized for recharging electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries and requires only 20 to 30 minutes to recharge a battery to 80 percent of full strength.
PGE and NEC officially opened the quick-charge station today with Governor Ted Kulongoski, who charged up an all-electric Nissan LEAF, during a two-day LEAF test drive event at PGE. Portland and the state of Oregon have been designated as top-tier launch markets for the Nissan LEAF when it goes on sale in the United States in December.
"Quick-charging stations are an exciting advancement in our effort to bring electric vehicles to Oregon," said Gov. Kulongoski. "By making charging convenient and available for public use, we are telling car manufacturers that Oregon is ready for the next generation of electric vehicles - and we want our state to be a leader in introducing these cars to the rest of the country."
"Partnering with NEC to bring the nation's first publicly available, quick-charge station to Oregon further solidifies PGE's commitment to developing the infrastructure needed to support electric vehicles now coming to the U.S. market," said Jim Piro, president and CEO, PGE.
"With the addition of the Takasago Rapid Charging Station to the growing network of EV charging stations in Oregon, we are able to further our research on how this new technology will interact with our electrical system and support our EV-driving customers," Piro added.
"This project reflects NEC's ongoing commitment to the development of new infrastructure that utilizes renewable resources. As a supplier of electric vehicle batteries, our introduction of the rapid electric vehicle charging station is a natural stage in the evolution of NEC's environmentally friendly solutions," said Hideki Niwaya, general manager, Public Utility Solutions Division, NEC. "Looking forward, NEC aims to continue developing mission critical solutions, including information and communications technologies (ICT) services and smart grids that represent the latest in technological innovation."
The Takasago Rapid Charging Station complies with the "CHAdeMO," a global EV charging standard developed in Japan. The station provides power output of 50kw (50-500V, 0-125A) and supports power input of AC200V+-30V.
PGE's alliance partner, Portland State University, and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium will document the acquisition, installation, certification, and testing procedures for this quick charger and release its findings in September.
*** For immediate use August 5, 2010
PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR), Oregon's largest utility, and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701), a leading network, communications and information technology company, announced today they have opened North America's first public-use, quick-charge station for electric vehicles.
The station was awarded public-use certification by the City of Portland following the successful installation and testing of the station manufactured by Takasago Ltd., a subsidiary of NEC, at the PGE headquarters in the Two World Trade Center parking garage, 121 SW Salmon St, Portland, Ore. The Takasago Rapid Charging Station is specialized for recharging electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries and requires only 20 to 30 minutes to recharge a battery to 80 percent of full strength.
PGE and NEC officially opened the quick-charge station today with Governor Ted Kulongoski, who charged up an all-electric Nissan LEAF, during a two-day LEAF test drive event at PGE. Portland and the state of Oregon have been designated as top-tier launch markets for the Nissan LEAF when it goes on sale in the United States in December.
"Quick-charging stations are an exciting advancement in our effort to bring electric vehicles to Oregon," said Gov. Kulongoski. "By making charging convenient and available for public use, we are telling car manufacturers that Oregon is ready for the next generation of electric vehicles - and we want our state to be a leader in introducing these cars to the rest of the country."
"Partnering with NEC to bring the nation's first publicly available, quick-charge station to Oregon further solidifies PGE's commitment to developing the infrastructure needed to support electric vehicles now coming to the U.S. market," said Jim Piro, president and CEO, PGE.
"With the addition of the Takasago Rapid Charging Station to the growing network of EV charging stations in Oregon, we are able to further our research on how this new technology will interact with our electrical system and support our EV-driving customers," Piro added.
"This project reflects NEC's ongoing commitment to the development of new infrastructure that utilizes renewable resources. As a supplier of electric vehicle batteries, our introduction of the rapid electric vehicle charging station is a natural stage in the evolution of NEC's environmentally friendly solutions," said Hideki Niwaya, general manager, Public Utility Solutions Division, NEC. "Looking forward, NEC aims to continue developing mission critical solutions, including information and communications technologies (ICT) services and smart grids that represent the latest in technological innovation."
The Takasago Rapid Charging Station complies with the "CHAdeMO," a global EV charging standard developed in Japan. The station provides power output of 50kw (50-500V, 0-125A) and supports power input of AC200V+-30V.
PGE's alliance partner, Portland State University, and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium will document the acquisition, installation, certification, and testing procedures for this quick charger and release its findings in September.
lol, photoshop fail
@creepin
lol nevermind, he;s just standing behind him..
i feel stoopid naow
@creepin ...your eyes fail, you can see the person legs just behind the first man. Do this, NEVER testify in a court of law.
It's Zaphod Beeblebrox!
@Smart People Play Tuba
No zaphod only has three hands and two faces but he does not have a thired leg ;-)
@creepin
Ohh man!!! this is making me feel so Futurama right now!!!
I hope I can put my hand on one of those later in 2012!!!
Electricity FTW!!!
@creepin
T1000?
http://www.slipups.com/images/items/92.full.jpg
@windows4ever Trillian might disagree with you about the absence of a third leg. ;)
Also, I'm just really glad this isn't a picture of him filling up the Dung Beetle.
@creepin
Well, ain't he excited! He so excited he got a 3rd arm to help him... down there... muhahahhahahhaha!
still ninja'd you ;)
omg... lol... I love engadget's titles and captions!
@leftkats
if only their articles were as good
@mrqs Zing?
Shouldn't an attendant be doing that for him while he waits in the car for his safety? It is Oregon afterall.
@reitmeim
Great, now I gotta rent an attendant for the Leaf charger at my house!*
*I don't have a Leaf charger. I would like a Dodge Charger, though.
@MastrCake
Here you go:
http://image.modified.com/f/15589160/0311_sccp_01_z+dukes_of_hazzard_other_news+general_lee.jpg
What is wrong with car manufactures, electric cars just WILL not work, hydrogen is the future.
Currently you fill up your car in 2 minutes,
Hydrogen you fill up your car in 2 minutes
Electric You charge your car in 1 hour (at least 1 hour)
The main argument for electric is there are plugs everywhere so the infrastructure is already there, but to have hydrogen you would need to dig up petrol station & install new tanks & pumps which will cost millions.
But hydrogen is the future it is bad enough when your mobile needs charging & it takes forever to charge this will not work with cars that travel more than 20 miles a day.
@Newwales Why not just change the car battery? I'm sure you could make a system that takes under two minutes...:o)
@Newwales 20 miles a day? that's electrical car mileage from the 70's? wtf are you on about? are you in the hydrogen lobby or some crap like that? Do you know that a battery can be replaced in a couple of minutes and off you go? Why would you have to wait for the charge...it's not a horse that has to drink and eat until you can ride it, parts can be interchangeable. Markets targeted for the service include the United States, Israel, Denmark, Canada and Japan, according to Reuters. Already tested by major brands. Want to know what the future is? The future is the moment after you read this and use the link:
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/05/15/interchangeable-battery-electric-car-demonstrated/
Hydrogen is just another Texaco-Chevron scheme, snap out of it. Gas is for cookers.
@Taller Replace a better??? wtf why would you want theat every time you want to "fill" up, I say 20 miles because the best use for electric cars is city centers or town, if you live in the country or travel on the motorways you will always have to make sure you have charged it the night before (which is ok for inner city life) Hydrogen in instant & Hyundai was the fist car company to manufacture a hydrogen car.
@Newwales
You do realize that is not just how fast you can make your can work again right?
@Newwales Where are you going to get the hydrogen? It takes more energy to get hydrogen than the energy that hydrogen contains. Also, Honda FCX has been around for 10+ years (Hydrogen fuel cell prototype). they could never get the cost down to what a consumer will pay for it). Electricity is the most multi fuel energy source. The time will come when recharging or battery swap outs make electric cars more practical.
@Newwales most electro cars by now have >=100km easily. and why not charge at home / at your workplace? if you don't have to drive > your cars limit, you never have to "stop to charge" like you have to do now with oil, and with hydrogen, too. you have to forget thinking about chargers.
handle it like your laptop, or like your phone. you don't "i have to go charging my phone, wait a minute", but instead you plug it in where ever you can, and charge while you do other tasks.
this approach would work very well for most usecases. and thus it would reduce the amount of co2 and stuff massively. the rest could still run on gasoline as needed.
that, until we have inductive chargers on all parking places + on the highways. so you even can drive big routes (on the highway), or just the smaller work/commute route with long times on parkings.
there are only two energy sources available everywhere: gasoline, and electricity. and that's why hydrogen will not take off for a looong time.
@Newwales
Wow... you're dumb.
First, I had an electric car for a time, the Mini-E. I got consistently 80-100 miles per charge. So there's that...
Second, 2 years ago it took 8 hours to fully charge an electric vehicle. 1 year ago it took 4 hours (the Mini-E), today it takes 1 hour to go to 80%. I don't think I need to spell it out for you but, like with all new technology, IT IS GOING TO GET BETTER.
Hydrogen will never be a viable option. It's simply just the "wonder" solution that all oil and automobile companies trotted out in the early 2000s as their "solution" to the gas guzzling SUVs... it was a sham.
@BacteriaEP So when you run out of power in the middle of nowhere the AA or RAC are going to have to have a generator on the back of the truck & stand there for 10 to 20 minutes charging your car, or carry hydrogen in a tank & take 2 minutes filling up your car, both electric & hydrogen may live side by side but hydrogen if the better choice for way we live, if we need to get our car moving we want it now, not have to think about charging.
All battery in electric cars use lithium iron which is expensive at the moment & they need changing every 6 year, but this may increases as technology improves.
@Newwales
No I won't because I'm not stupid enough to attempt to go 200 miles on a 100 mile battery. Also, yes, today's batteries will have to be replaced about every six years... just like most gas-powered cars will need stuff replaced over the course of 6 years as well.
Let's see, one battery replaced once every six years...
-or-
24 oil changes, 12 premium tune ups, 6 belt changes, and possibly any other work that your car will need in that timespan. Gas powered vehicles are ticking time bombs.
And finally, please do some research on hyrdogen powered cars before you start talking about them. They are not a real viable solution and they never will be. They were a SHAM paraded out by oil and automotive companies in the early part of this decade as a way to get the government off their backs... they are not real. They will never happen.
@Newwales
Hydrogen is expensive, Hydrogen is hard to store and transport, Hydrogen needs a lot of infrastructure in place before people will be able to go anywhere (There won't be a Hydrogen filling station around here for a long time). And I can't generate my own Hydrogen, well not easily and not in large quantities. And battery technology is getting cheaper and cheaper. Even hybrids are getting better and better. And I doubt that the price for one of these Hydrogen cars will be cheaper than the true costs for an EV or ICE car.
When I saw the headline I thought this article was about a mobile phone charge station :p
what is this i don't even
And three-legged, too. An arachnid!
@TRAFFICBLOWS arachnids have 8 appendiges, not 7 :P
@imtired I mean "not 6 appendages" Doh! b(^_^)b
@TRAFFICBLOWS
I tell you, all those lizard people are taking over. Look, some of them are in politics already!
stopping to charge for 20 minutes every 60 miles, ftw.
Governor's of US state embracing foreign vehicles, ftl
@kyleplusitunes Most people buying the Leaf will be driving less than its range and will be charging overnight at home. This seems like it's more for unexpected stops and emergencies, and no one says you have to fill up the full 20-30min...
He's not just 3-handed. He's pooping-out a leg.
20-30 minutes is way too long to wait for a charge. We would have to change our lifestyle in the US if everyone was to start driving electric cars today.
@Barton Oh well - we couldn't have you changing your lifestyle, could we!
@Barton
Yeah, you're right man, if everyone starts driving electric cars, everything would be different, we could save a lot of money, less pollution...
@Bcta30 That's assuming that the electricity generated in your area is produced cleanly.
@Barton
Or you could change where you charge your car - rather than going specifically to a charge up point, they could be placed at car parks. This way, while you're working, getting shopping etc. your car would be charging. The only lifestyle change would be that you'd never have to go to the gas station.
@lionelhuts
Even polluting power plants are cleaner than gas burning cars!
@lionelhuts
That's a myth by the way. Most metropolitan areas get a signifcant source of power from non-dirty energy resources which makes this a non issue.
It WOULD be an issue were every home, business, car, etc powered by a coal or oil power plant.
But even at that argument it's better to change everybody's driving habits and method of transportation and then phase in a cleaner source of energy being generated to power those machines.
http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/writing/Samples/policy/voytishlong.html
@bommai
And more and more renewable energy goes on-line all the time.
Heeeeey! He has a Kuato in his stomach too? Small world :D
It takes 3 hands to handle a big hose.
I wish my Mr android would charge that quickly.
Parking lots are the new gas stations IMO, for some reason i imagine part of parking lots at malls dedicated to charging electric cars. Maybe even charge per half hour @ $1.
Hmm, so 20 - 30 mins to "fill up" vs the 5 mins the old stinky method takes. Don't know if most people have that much time to spare on their commute somewhere.
Usually I'm running late already and low on petrol, oh shoot, quickly stop by petrol station, pump, pay, and out in less than 6 minutes really.
Still, a promising future i guess, it can only get better with time and technology.