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Car Chargers Arrive at 2 State Parks in Southern California

By Chris Clarke
August 22, 2013
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California's newest car charging locale | Photo: mcbridejc/Flickr/Creative Commons License

Heading to Leo Carrillo State Beach to catch a few waves? Now your electric car can do the same. Electric vehicles parked at Leo Carrillo, and at Malibu Creek State Park farther uphill, can catch some alternating current electrical wave action from newly installed electric car chargers unveiled Thursday by California State Parks.

The state agency's announcement didn't include details on the number and type of chargers unveiled Thursday at the two parks. But if the crowd-sourced site Carstations.com is accurate in its reporting, both Leo Carrillo and Malibu Creek each boast two publicly accessible level 2 chargers.

And as part of a sponsorship deal with Chevrolet, charging at the new stations will be free for the next three years. That's a potential concern for those who cast a side-eye at corporate sponsorship of our parks, but undeniably a boon for people who want to take their electric car to the beach or the mountains.

"We are very excited with these new plug-in stations, as they will serve the growing number of visitors to our State Parks that drive electric, zero emission vehicles," said State Parks Angeles District Superintendent Craig Sap in a press release.

Level 2 chargers use a 220-volt current, twice the voltage of typical household current. If your Nissan Leaf loses the last bit of its charge just as you pull into Leo Carrillo's parking lot, you'll need only kill 8 hours or so tidepooling or surfing or laying about before the park's new charger has your car fully topped off. Don't forget the sunscreen!

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