Councilman wants Salt Lake City to accommodate recharging electric cars

The Volkswagen pulls out of the garage, its converted engine softly whirring.

On a fully charged battery, the electric car might be able to travel from Sugar House to Riverton and back, a trip of a little more than 40 miles, without recharging.

The man behind the wheel knows that's not enough for a revolution.

"The biggest thing holding back the electric vehicle is what I call 'range anxiety,' " says Kyle Dansie, the soft-spoken computer programmer and former mechanic who converted the 1993 VW Golf. "People worry about not having enough juice to get back home."

It's a problem some Salt Lake City leaders plan to tackle, starting next week.

City Councilman Soren Simonsen plans to soon introduce a set of four initiatives aimed at putting basic infrastructure in place for electric cars.

He estimates that there are between 500 and 1,000 plug-in vehicles in the valley, and he said that number will only grow as gas prices and air-quality concerns rise.

"We're at a really good time to take some initiative," he said. "There are a still a lot of unknowns. What is known is that we have a growing interest — I would say it has become quite large — to look at alternative fuels and alternative transportation."

With the city looking at retrofitting its parking meters to allow drivers to pay with credit and debit cards, Simonsen said, it would make sense to install outlets, as well. Drivers would be able plug in their cars and pay for parking and the electricity they use, he said.

A change in the city's parking requirements for developers could also be in order. The code could be changed to mandate plug-ins in parking lots of more than 20 stalls.

The councilman also would like to identify plug-in stations on its list of alternative fueling spots, which currently includes biofuel and natural-gas stations.

"I'm not sure it would take us long to identify places," Simonsen said. "We need a parking lot that has a plug and a willing owner."

The amount of electricity used to charge a battery "is very small," the councilman said. "We're talking about pennies a day."

Dansie's Volkswagen, for example, needs 15 cents worth of electricity to top it off, while a full charge runs between 50 and 60 cents.

Simonsen envisions reserved plug-in stalls in parking garages and outside grocery stores.

Dansie would like to see plug-ins available at most gas stations and public parks.

The city could offer "mini-grants" of $250 or so for installation of outlets and signs, if financial incentive is needed, Simonsen suggested.

The changes would make it easier for drivers in Davis and Utah counties who commute to the capital city, and put Salt Lake ahead of most U.S. cities on the issue, he said.

That would help the valley deal with its notorious air-quality problems, Simonsen said.

"We have a health risk with our air quality in Salt Lake City that is becoming quite enormous," he said. "Regardless of what people may or may not believe about climate change, the same things are causing a staggering health risk in the Salt Lake area. We breathe this gunk every winter and every summer."

"This is a relatively small step forward," the councilman said.

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