It's electric!: City unveils first car charging station

One of the most common symptoms among hybrid and electric car owners is "range anxiety," a term coined by TXU Energy's Director of Engineering and Innovation Scott Harrison.

"I know I can charge it at my house, but if I drive to McKinney and back, can I get there?" Harrison said, describing the fear that prevents some drivers from buying a hybrid car.

The city and TXU hope to quell that unidentified phobia with four electric car charging stations, one of which officially opened for business on Friday in the parking lot of the Roy and Helen Hall Memorial Library on East Hunt Street.

The station, made and installed by AeroVironment with approximately $8,000 in funds provided by TXU through a joint partnership with the city of McKinney, will be available for public use for hybrid and electric car owners as well as five of the cities' hybrid vehicles, three of which were converted to hybrids with a North Texas Council of Governments (NTCOG) grant.

McKinney City Manager Jason Gray called the initiative "a great new concept, not only for city vehicles ... but also for everyday commuters."

The stations also have plenty of added benefits outside the realm of environmental sustainability and conservation, Gray said.

"Through programs like this one, we can expand [our economic, financial and community sustainability] without negatively impacting our budget or allocating additional tax dollars, particularly in these difficult financial times," Gray said. "It's an incredible win-win, not just for the community but also for the organization of the city of McKinney, since we will be using some of these charging stations as well."

Julie Smith, McKinney's manager of the office of environmental stewardship, said the five hybrid vehicles will be used by parks and recreation and building inspectors, which makes the cars and charging stations a huge benefit since they are on the road the most and won't have to shell out $3.90 a gallon for gas every week.

"That's a biggie," Smith said with a laugh, "especially for a building inspector who drives all day."

Smith said she hasn't seen any studies on the number of hybrid or electric car owners in McKinney, but she does see quite a few Toyota Priuses parked at the McKinney Senior Recreation Center on South College Street. That's why they will also get an electric charging station in the coming months, along with two more at the city's maintenance buildings for the city's fleet.

"Really, the push we tried to make is we tried to put out stations to make people more comfortable knowing that they can go to downtown McKinney or Dallas and charge their car if they need to," Harrison said, "to promote the industry in a way that will make people comfortable about buying a vehicle."

Smith said the stations can also make the city a more attractive option for prospective home and business owners looking for a city with additional sustainability.

"It is often at least one parameter people use to move to that city, like can they walk where they need to go or is there a mass transit system," Smith said. "We do hold ourselves as being sustainable and having sustainable programs, and this is a very tangible way of looking at it ... It's a way of putting your money where your mouth is."