NATION'S FIRST ELECTRIC AVENUE WAS LAUNCHED AT THE PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS.
August 16 2011, Portland Oregon

Portland State University (PSU) and Portland General Electric (PGE) dedicated a street near the PSU Campus.

Electric Avenue, was launched on August 16, 2011. It is a two-year research partnership between PSU, the city of Portland, and Portland General Electric. Electric vehicle drivers can park and plug in to one of several different charging stations with the latest charging technology including a quick charging station.

Seven charging stations from 6 manufacturers were installed along Southwest Montgomery Street, between Broadway and Sixth Avenue in the center of PSU's campus downtown. There were a number of electric vehicles in attendance and were charging up during the EVent. Some electric vehicles on display and or charging up included: Nissan Leaf, Chevolet Volt, Toyota Plug-in Hybrid, Mitsubishi iMiEV, Tesla Roadster, Ford Transit Connect, Smith Newton and more. Charging companies included: Eaton, Shorepower Technologies, OpConnect, SPX, ECOtality, and General Electric.

All charging stations are powered with 100 percent renewable energy from PGE. Vehicle charging (sponsored by PSU) is free. The Standard parking rates apply. The project supports a growing industry, while giving researchers and policy makers a better understanding of how electric vehicles will affect infrastructure, driver behavior, and the environment.

Electric Avenue joins a host of transportation studies already underway at Portland State, led by faculty working across disciplines and with the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC), a national university transportation center housed at PSU. More than 30 EV makes and models—cars, trucks, bikes and motorcycles—are on the market today, with another 150 in development and production By 2020, electric vehicles will log 250 billion miles on U.S. roads each year.