BERKELEY, CA—Two new charging stations for electric vehicles opened this week in Berkeley, where the number of electric vehicles is surging.

The new charging stations at the Whole Foods in South Berkeley include a DC Fast Charging station that can add 40 miles of range to an electric vehicle in about 10 minutes. About 350 electric vehicles are registered to Berkeley residents and businesses, an increase of over 70% in the last six months.

Whole Foods, on Telegraph at Ashby Avenues, is the first business to participate in a City of Berkeley pilot program to ease the permitting and installation of EV charging stations. The Non-Residential Plug-In Electric Vehicle Charging Station Pilot Program has staff who personally guide businesses through the process. Applications will be accepted through the end of the year.

“It is only natural that we offer EV charging stations at our stores, especially in forward-thinking communities like Berkeley,” said Tristam Coffin, energy and maintenance coordinator at Whole Foods Market.

The City of Berkeley supports the spread of EV infrastructure and the use of electric vehicles as part of the Climate Action Plan's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 33% by 2020. Vehicle travel currently generates over half of our community's greenhouse gas emissions and driving an EV in Berkeley in place of a conventional automobile can reduce the greenhouse emissions associated with its travel by as much as 70%.

The new EV charging stations installed at the Whole Foods are operated by NRG eVgo and offer DC fast charging and Level 2 charging. Shoppers can use a credit card or subscribe to one of NRG eVgo's charging plans to pay for charging at Whole Foods EV charging stations.

“The City of Berkeley's pilot program has expedited the permitting process for electric vehicle charging station installations and enabled us to more quickly deploy the NRG eVgo network for drivers in the area,” said Terry O'Day, vice president of NRG eVgo in California.

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