Electric vehicle manufacturers attended the grand opening and charged up their vehicles including the: Arcimoto Darkwing, Chevrolet Volt, Ford Transit Connect, Mitsubishi iMiEV, Nissan LEAF, Smith Newton, Tesla Roadster (shown), and the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. Photo credit: Tyler Brain/Portland State University.
Oregon-based Portland State University (PSU) is hosting the nation's first "Electric Avenue" — a street dedicated to showcasing electric transportation technology — through a unique partnership between the university, Portland General Electric (PGE) and the city of Portland.
Electric Avenue, a two-year research and development project, features seven EV charging stations from six manufacturers, including a quick-charge station, where students and visitors can plug in and charge up electric cars, trucks, bicycles and motorcycles.
On Electric Avenue, which opened to the public Aug. 16, drivers can plug in and charge up at one of five available level 2 charging stations or at the quick-charge station, which can charge a vehicle in less than 30 minutes.
The unique street includes charging stations from Eaton, ECOtality, General Electric, OpConnect, Shorepower Technologies and SPX, with free charging sponsored by PSU. All charging stations are powered with 100 percent PGE renewable power.
Electric Avenue is part of an ongoing partnership between PSU, PGE and the city of Portland to showcase EVs, charging technology, and urban design through collaboration.