Back in February, we reported that charging stations for electric vehicles would soon be coming to Ballard and as of last week, they are here. Fred Meyer is the first company in Ballard to have installed two public charging stations.

Manufactured by Blink, the charging stations are outifitted with SAE J1772 connectors - the industry standard and most widely compatible connector used for electric vehicle charging in the United States.

According to Blink, the charging stations offer "a competitive differentiator and reason for customers to stop, shop, and eat."

Earlier this year the Office of Economic Development announced they would provide businesses with free electric vehicle charging stations as part of the EV Project.

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded a $115 million grant to ECOtality to manage the EV Project, installing 15,000 charging stations in 16 cities in six states, 1200 of which will be between Everett and Tacoma.

This pilot project will help the Department of Energy determine where to install additional chargers and to understand the habits of electric vehicle drivers.

Dan O'Shea from ECOtality North America said Ballard is a good destination for electric charging stations and expects to see between 12 to 24 stations in Ballard alone.

Fred Meyer's two charging stations are located just east of the main entrance, next to the disabled parking spaces.