LEADING THE CHARGE

IPSWICH — EBSCO Publishing installed an electric-vehicle charging station this week, the first of its kind on the North Shore, and the town may not be far behind.

Plans are in motion to put a public charging station on a busy downtown street.

EBSCO's charging station is mounted to the side of a building that abuts a company parking lot and can accommodate two cars at a time. It can be used by EBSCO employees and company guests, free of charge, but not the general public.

Ipswich Town Manger Bob Markel is working with Voltrek, the Andover-based company that installed EBSCO's charging station, to mount a public charging station on a utility pole on Market Street in the heart of downtown Ipswich.

Voltrek and the town would share installation costs, said Markel. The town's electric light department would provide power — and receive the revenue — from the charging station.

Salem is also not far behind.

The Witch City is one of 25 Massachusetts cities and towns to receive a state grant to install electric vehicle charging stations. Two stations, one in the Museum Place Mall Garage and the other at Salem Harbor Garage, could be in use as early as the fall.

Ipswich resident Don Bowen stopped by EBSCO yesterday to demonstrate the charging station with an electric car he's owned for three months.

"You have all the creature comforts of an expensive mid-size car," Bowen said of his Chevy Volt. "You're not sacrificing anything."

EBSCO's charging station delivers 220 volts of electricity — double the amount of an normal electrical outlet. Although each electric car and battery is different, it translates to roughly 20 miles of distance per hour of charge.

While few EBSCO employees own electric vehicles now, the new charging station might encourage those who are thinking of buying one, said Tom Wheeler, chief financial officer.

"When other people see (electric) cars here charging up, especially with gas close to $4 per gallon," employees might be inspired to go electric, he said.

All EBSCO company vehicles are gasoline/electric hybrids, and company president Tim Collins is in the process of buying an electric vehicle.

EBSCO hopes to soon incorporate electric vehicles into its fleet, Wheeler said.

The vehicle charging station is the latest in a laundry list of environmental initiatives the company has championed, from an array of rooftop solar panels to reimbursing employees for commuting on public transportation.

"They are a candidate for the greenest company on the North Shore," Markel said of EBSCO.

In the long run, Markel said he would consider purchasing electric vehicles for the town and installing a charging station at Town Hall.

Electric vehicles are "ideal" for municipal use, said Markel, because they drive a small number of in-town miles each day.

"When electric cars become more competitive (affordable), that's when we're going to move (on the idea)," he said.

According to the Chevrolet website, the Volt retails for $40,280, but purchasers can take advantage of tax credits. Toyota will soon release a plug-in model of its popular Prius hybrid, which can use charging stations.

EBSCO, which provides databases and e-books to libraries and other institutions, employs almost 900 people in downtown Ipswich. Despite a sluggish economy, EBSCO has been doing well, said Wheeler, and is able and ready to provide employee amenities such as the new vehicle charging station.

The company has 50 open positions and just purchased a building on Route 1 in Topsfield, which it hopes to have up and running this winter.

"We're constantly growing," said Wheeler. "Business is great. We're booming. We can't hire fast enough."

Staff writer Bethany Bray can be reached at bbray@salemnews.com and on Twitter @SalemNewsBB.

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