Burlington Electric to Install Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at Hannaford in New North End

Burlington, Vt. – The Burlington Electric Department today announced that it will install two 240-volt, dual port electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the Hannaford supermarket parking lot in the New North End’s Ethan Allen Shopping Center, allowing for the simultaneous charging of four EVs and raising to 24 the number of EV charging ports Burlington Electric has installed around the City. The location was selected based upon the results of a community survey launched by Burlington Electric during Drive Electric Week in September. Installation of the new stations demonstrates Burlington Electric’s continued commitment to increase the number of EVs on the road and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“These charging stations will provide electric vehicle owners with a convenient, new option for charging their cars while they shop or visit the area,” said Andrew Goldberg, Hannaford Energy Project Manager. “Hannaford is proud to partner with Burlington Electric in this project, as part of our commitment to sustainability and to working with others in strengthening the communities we serve.”

The community survey led Burlington Electric to site the two new charging stations at Hannaford in the New North End’s Ethan Allen Shopping Center. Forty-five percent of survey respondents voted for locating the charging stations in the Ethan Allen Shopping Center. The next top vote-getter was the Pease Parking Lot (Waterfront) with 15 percent. The survey offered the following other locations as well: Church and Main; Marketplace Garage; College Street Garage; and other. Burlington Electric will manage and fund the charging stations. Installation of the stations will begin next week, and they will be activated in early to mid-December. The new Level 2 stations will charge vehicles in an average of under four hours.

“BED is working hard on many fronts to build on its remarkable milestone of sourcing 100 percent of Burlington’s power from renewable generation, and to move us closer to becoming a net zero energy city,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “Driving electric is an important part of this environmental strategy, and the two new EV charging stations represent an important expansion of our ability to serve this growing market.”

“Today’s announcement serves as another example of Burlington Electric’s ongoing commitment to lead through energy innovation to make Burlington stronger,” stated Neale Lunderville, Burlington Electric General Manager. “With a majority of Burlington’s carbon emissions coming from the transportation sector, the deployment of EV charging infrastructure, along with increased biking and walking, and the use of public transit, is an important step toward achieving BED’s vision to build a sustainable energy future that reduces these emissions and supports a growing economy and a thriving community.” 

Prior to its work with Hannaford, Burlington Electric already had installed 11 EV charging stations around the City as part of its commitment to contribute to Vermont’s EV charging stations network. Four of those charging stations are positioned in strategic locations around the University of Vermont campus, and one station has been installed at the Miller Information Commons parking lot at Champlain College. The other six charging stations are located on Main Street near City Hall, in both the Marketplace and Cherry Street parking garages, and at Burlington Electric’s Pine Street facility. Together, the four UVM, the one Champlain College, and the six charging stations around the City are averaging between 450 to 500 charging sessions per month and have had visits from nearly 550 unique drivers in 2016. The vehicles belonging to those drivers are registered in 61 different Vermont communities, 13 states (CA, CT, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VA), Washington, DC, and 19 Canadian communities.

In its Comprehensive Energy Plan, Vermont has pledged that 10 percent of all on-road vehicles will be fueled by renewable sources by 2025. Forty-seven percent of Vermont’s greenhouse gases comes from its transportation sector, according to the plan. Vermont is one of eight states to have signed a zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) memorandum of understanding (MOU) to coordinate actions to ensure that more ZEVs are on the road. Since signing the MOU in October 2013 and taking action to reach its goals, Vermont has seen a significant increase in the number of EVs in the state, from 88 in June 2014 to 988 in June 2015 to nearly 1,400 in October 2016, according to Drive Electric Vermont.

Installation of these EV charging stations will not be the first time Burlington Electric has worked with Hannaford in the New North End. This past summer, Burlington Electric, the Burlington community’s energy efficiency utility, engaged in an energy efficiency project that included replacement of all lighting fixtures with LED technology and installation of an automated lighting control system that includes scheduling, occupancy sensing, and day-light harvesting capabilities. Based on these efficiency upgrades, the Hannaford store is estimated to save enough electricity each year equivalent to the electricity needs of 70 average Burlington homes.

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About Burlington Electric Department

Burlington Electric Department has been serving its customers with safe and reliable power since 1905. Burlington Electric is a recognized national leader in green energy with the recent milestone achievement of sourcing 100% of its power from renewable generation. With a focus on low and stable rates, and a commitment to energy efficiency, Burlington Electric’s 20,000 customers use less power today than they did in 1989.