Following on from our posts about reducing your carbon footprint when driving, take a look at a new initiative about electric cars currently running in America. It’s great to see residential developments incorporating green initiatives into their plans. In this case they have gone above and beyond the normal tactics by including transport initiatives. Maybe Britain will follow soon….
Gentlemen, Charge Your Engines!: Aqua Becomes First Residential Development to Offer Electric Car Charging Stations
Both the city of Chicago and its mayor are excited about a cutting-edge green initiative that Aqua will offer its residents: electric car charging stations and the public. Aqua will be the first residential development to offer a service like the one it will provide. Magellan Development instituted many green initiatives when developing the new mixed-use tower, but the car charging stations are one of the most innovative and exciting features.
The six public stations will be able to charge 24 cars simultaneously and are located in the garage of Aqua. Charging an electric car on these stations, which costs approximately $5 in energy costs, will allow an electric car to drive approximately 250 miles.
In a demonstration hosted by Magellan and attended by Mayor Daley, an I-GO Car Sharing Prius was charged at the Aqua charging station. Magellan partnered with Carbon Day Automotives, a Chicago company using the Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint Network of electric charging stations, to create the Aqua charging stations. As nearly every automotive manufacturer has announced plans to develop an electric model or hybrid model, the electric charging stations in Aqua allow for the whole city of Chicago to start to participate in the green movement in the future. The charging station amenities at Aqua make it a great place to live for those already owning an electric vehicle.
Mayor Daley joined the demonstration event to take part in the achievement for the city of Chicago. What Magellan and Aqua have done for the city has been called “an impressive prototype for the kind of sustainable-energy infrastructure.” Chicago was awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2009 Clean Cities Petroleum Reduction Technologies grant program; with $15 million allocated to this purpose, the development of green initiatives like this one will hopefully be an integral part of all Chicago developments in the near future.
Author Sig: Magellan Development, a premier developer of Chicago condos for sale, is committed to creating urban communities that blend striking and innovative architecture with top quality, environmentally-friendly construction. Designing communities in prime locations in the city, Magellan Development anticipates the needs and exceeds the expectations of valued residents and commercial clients.
