The City of Pittsburgh has deployed five new EV ARC units – solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging – from Envision Solar International Inc.
The EV ARC stations are situated at the Second Avenue Parking Plaza to provide solar-powered charging for the city’s fleet of EVs. Pittsburgh is in the process of developing its third climate action plan to create policies and projects to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions within city limits, notes Envision.
“As the city transitions to a 100 percent fossil-fuel-free fleet by 2030, we’re looking at innovative and sustainable ways to power our vehicles. The new chargers run completely on sunshine and are an exciting way for us to demonstrate our commitment to reducing the city’s carbon footprint and lead by example,” says William Peduto, the mayor of Pittsburgh.
Envision says the EV ARC products are also immune to grid interruptions. In turn, Pittsburgh’s use of the solar-powered chargers will ensure that fleet vehicles remain in service during grid failures. The units are also equipped with emergency power (E-power) panels, which allow first responders and other vital personnel to use the EV ARC as an emergency generator during disasters or other grid outages.
“Pittsburgh is another high-profile city that amongst all the available choices has selected our American-made, secure, solar-powered EV charging stations,” comments Desmond Wheatley, president and CEO of Envision. “We look forward to helping them grow their EV charging infrastructure as they scale up their electric fleet.”
Invented and manufactured in California, the patented EV ARC generates enough clean solar electricity to power up to 225 miles of EV driving in a day. The system’s solar electrical generation is enhanced by EnvisionTrak, which causes the array to follow the sun. Because the product requires no trenching, foundations or installation work of any kind, it is deployed in minutes and can be moved to a new location with ease, the company says.