Rose Quarter plugs in 10 EV charging stations

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The Portland Trail Blazers last week unveiled 10 electric vehicle charging stations now available in Rose Quarter parking garages.

On the eve of the third annual NBA Green Week — which, if it's not marked on your calendar, is this week — the Portland Trail Blazers last Friday cut the ribbon on 10 new electric vehicle charging stations installed in two Rose Quarter parking garages.

The concentration of chargers makes the Rose Quarter the largest publicly available vehicle charging site in Oregon.

The charging stations are Level-2 Blink models from ECOtality. Level 2 technology charges electric car batteries over several hours — roughly the time it takes to take in a Blazers basketball game.

On hand for the unveiling were Portland Trail Blazers President Larry Miller, Christenson Electric President Mark Walter and Gov. John Kitzhaber.

"We are proud to be in a position to add these charging stations to our campus," said Miller in a statement. "It not only aligns with the sustainability goals we have as an organization, it reflects what the NBA is doing in the area of sustainability. Being leaders in the greening of sports is an ongoing commitment we are passionate about."

Christensen Electric partnered on the charging station installation.

NBA's Green Week, part of the NBA Cares effort, has teams promoting environmentally friendly activities across the country including e-recycling efforts, alternative transportation efforts and solar projects. NBA partners with the Natural Resources Defense Council on educational programs during the week.

The Trail Blazer's Rose Quarter home has long been on the leading edge of sustainability efforts, earning a LEED gold certification in 2010. The Trail Blazers became the first sports franchise to join BICEP, a business-supported lobbying effort to promote climate-friendly policy, in 2011. The team was also one of the founding members of the Portland-based Green Sports Alliance.