Dozens of EV Charging Stations Hit Las Vegas Strip

When members of the both the public and private sectors talk about expanding the electric vehicle (EV) market, they rarely lose site of a key obstacle—making charging more widely available.

Though plug-in vehicle sales surged by more than 80 percent last year, potential EV drivers remain concerned about charging accessibility. EV proponents want more chargers in public spaces, and it doesn’t get more public than the Las Vegas strip. With this in mind, MGM Resorts International is bringing dozens of charging stations to its properties on the strip.

That includes 27 at nine resort properties that should be available for use by the end of this month. The company owns MGM Grand, The Mirage, Mandalay Bay, New York-New York and more. Officials rolled out the first of the stations earlier this month.

“It is important that our guests have the convenience and ability to continue sustainable habits during their time with us,” said Cindy Ortega, chief sustainability officer of MGM Resorts International. “The installation of these charging stations encourages green practices in both our guests and employees, serving as a natural step toward smarter, cleaner transportation systems.”

Campbell, CA-based ChargePoint is deploying the chargers, which are free for guests and employees. With a corresponding mobile app, EV drivers will be able to see whether a station is open, as well as the percentage of charge on the vehicle, when it is fully charged and when a charging nozzle has been removed. Each charger has two Level 2 charging ports that can provide up to 7.2 kilowatts of energy.

MGM installed its first stations back in 2011, but its latest surge is emblematic of the rise in EVs’ popularity. Four charging stations at Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand Las Vegas and Circus Circus Reno are already operational. Additional stations are coming to Circus Circus Reno in the future.

“This project shows MGM’s commitment to sustainability and continued leadership,” Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint, said. “It also represents a significant benefit to MGM’s guests and employees alike and allows ChargePoint to move closer to our goal of providing charging wherever people work, shop, eat and play.”

Visit EcoWatch’s TRANSPORTATION page for more related news on this topic.

[source: http://ecowatch.com/2014/02/22/ev-chargers-las-vegas-strip/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ev-chargers-las-vegas-strip]