Electric Vehicle

Electric Car Charging Station Opens in Bloomington, Minn.

Once thought to be extinct, the electric car is making a comeback this summer in the Twin Cities. General Motors has already released their battery-powered Chevy Volt, and later this fall, Nissan, Ford, and other major automakers will introduce new hybrid-electric and all-electric vehicles. The rebirth of this electrifying technology begs the question, “Where do I plug in?”

In the Twin Cities, Southtown Shopping Center is leading the “charge.”

Southtown today unveiled its first planned electric vehicle charging station available to the general public. Kraus-Anderson Realty has installed Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint™ electric vehicle charging station at Southtown, the fifth such location in the metro area and the second in Bloomington. Southtown, a regional shopping center, is located at I-494 and Penn Ave. S. in Bloomington.

“Drivers will certainly charge their cars at work and at home, but we see there is also a need to charge vehicles in public locations,” said Kraus-Anderson Realty’s Ken Vinje, property manager at the Southtown Shopping Center. “Currently, there are more than 1,800 charging stations deployed in the U.S., and as electric cars continue to provide an economical and environmental solution for many consumers, an infrastructure of charging stations is needed to develop, support, and encourage this exciting trend.”

The Southtown station, located south of Kohl’s, can provide both 120V and 240V charging, and can accommodate two cars simultaneously. Other metropolitan sites include the Mall of America, 3M’s corporate campus in Maplewood, and First National Bank Building and RiverCentre ramp in downtown St. Paul. The City of Rochester has also installed a station, and the City of St. Paul is currently installing an additional 10 stations in and adjacent to the Minneapolis/St. Paul light rail corridor.

Kraus-Anderson Realty chose to install the ChargePoint station because it offers the most advanced, user-friendly web-based/smart phone portal available. Coulomb Technologies (www.coulombtech.com) is the leader in electric vehicle charging solutions, with charging systems and application services delivered by the ChargePoint Network. Drivers can find stations, receive charging status notifications via text and/or email, and generate usage reports all in real time.

Kraus-Anderson Realty Company leases and manages more than four million square feet of commercial property, including office, industrial and retail shopping centers. Kraus-Anderson Realty is part of the Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson family of operations, including commercial, construction, insurance and real estate management and development. Kraus-Anderson is an Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

www.chargepoint.net