Portland’s “Electric Avenue” as an Alternative Transportation Hub
Portland State University realizes that electric vehicles currently represent only a small percentage of Oregon’s automobile fleet. But like other research campuses across the United States, they realize that it’s only a matter of time before EVs become mainstream, and it wants to establish itself as leading green transportation researcher long before then.
Recently, PSU has directed its attention
towards the relationship between EV charging stations and urban form. It has
transformed a whole block of downtown Portland into a one-way corridor for EVs,
decked out with special parking spaces and 6 brand new EV charging stations.
Dubbed Electric Avenue by the
university, it is what you might call an EV-owner’s “oasis” in the middle of
the city.
Now 6 months after the public launch of
Electric Avenue, it’s time to take a step back and determine what we can learn
about the new development.
A recent
article in Forbes has already detailed the 10 biggest lessons learned from
Electric Avenue. But I want to take a step even further back and look at how
the strategic placement of charging stations such as Electric Avenue represents
a wider societal shift towards fluid or
intermodal methods of transportation.
More specifically, the Electric Avenue demonstrates how EV charging stations
are a key entry-point into fluid transportation networks of the future.
Fluid
Transportation Networks
As urban environments densify and consumers
increasingly embrace sustainability, more people are turning towards alternative
forms of transportation such as electric vehicle, bicycles, street-cars, and walking.
Frequently, individuals will take more than one form of transportation over the
course of their journey.
For instance, vehicle sharing programs have
opened up convenient, sustainable transportation to urban dwellers in cities
across the country (Car2Go
has a new EV fleet in San Francisco). Sometimes to get to one of these
vehicles, an individual might take a bike, walk, or utilize public transit.
Or on the other side of the coin, a person
might use a Zipcar to arrive at a public transit hub (such as a subway or bus
depot). Either way, these alternative forms of transportation form an intermodal
network that increasing numbers of urban dwellers are embracing.
Electric
Avenue: Location Analysis
One of the key things PSU observed about
Electric Avenue, was that it was situated in an ideal location to tap into
Portland’s intermodal transportation network. It not only provided a place for
EV owners to charge their cars, it also served as an entryway into Portland’s
fluid network of alternative transportation.
Electric Avenue is bordered by bike paths
and pedestrian boulevards. Portland’s streetcar system can be accessed from
neighboring PSU Urban Plaza, which can take one either North to downtown, or
South to South Waterfront. Bus and light rail options are located at nearby
Portland Transit Mall.
This plethora of transportation options
means that EV owners who charge their cars at Electric Avenue are not isolated
in this one area while their EVs charge.
For instance, PSU noticed that many EV
owners would leave Electric Avenue while their car was charging and take nearby
streetcars into the city’s commercial core. Since EVs require time to charge
anyways, they could fulfill other tasks in their daily journey without remaining solely dependent on
their vehicle.
Furthermore, the close proximity of hospitality
services and stores near Electric Avenue provides EV drivers with convenient
shopping options while going for a quick charge. (And on a side note, many
retailers have realized the benefits of locating
charging stations on their properties for their EV-owing clientele.)
Concluding
Points
Portland’s Electric Avenue is more than a
place to charge an EV; it serves as an important node in Portland’s alternative
transportation network and a significant hub for Oregon’s EV owners. These EV
hubs will play an increasingly important role in cities as people turn towards
sustainability and alternative transportation.
It will be interesting to see how Electric
Avenue will develop over the years as EVs become a more prevalent form of
transportation.
Joseph Tohill is a freelance writer and online communications specialist for organizations in the sustainability sector. He has a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of British Columbia and spent most of his academic career studying sustainable urban development; namely the interdisciplinary relationship between built form and natural environment.
1 Comments:
An electric generator is defined as a device that is used in the conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy by means of electromagnetic induction. Its main work is to force electrons to flow via an electrical circuit.
hydro electric
hydro electric power
what is hydro electric
inventhistory
power generator
wind power generator
solar and power
electric transportation
Visit the website and get more information => www.inventhistory.com
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home