Oak Park Plans for a Future With Electric Cars

OAK PARK, Ill., Nov. 18, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To help encourage the move toward the likely future of automobile propulsion, the Village of Oak Park, Illinois will offer free parking and vehicle stickers for electric vehicles.

According to Village Manager Tom Barwin, who details the far-reaching significance of the move at missionmainstreet.tumblr.com, the Oak Park initiative is just the beginning of local efforts to encourage residents to purchase electric vehicles and EV enthusiasts to see the community as a welcoming place.

A variety of organizations are committed to developing the infrastructure necessary to support more widespread use of EVs in the region, Barwin said, with at least two charging stations planned for Oak Park in collaboration with ComEd and I-GO car sharing.

"We realize this step is largely symbolic, given that all-electric vehicles are just now beginning to become available," Barwin said. "But some of the best minds in the world are working on EV technology because they know it will create an economic revolution."

But the key to the future of electric cars, Barwin says, will be new battery technology, which has spawned a race among governments around the globe that are investing tens of billions of dollars into research and development.

"The effort to develop new battery technology is being compared to the Manhattan Project and the race to put a man on the moon," Barwin said. "The United States needs to lead this effort. It is up to individuals and communities to take actions that help ensure that message is heard by our leaders."

Free parking for EVs is just such a message, albeit a small one, but one that has weighty implications, according to Barwin.

"This action by Oak Park says we, as a community, have a collective vision for the future we hope our country will pursue," he said. "Whether you believe in energy independence or protecting the earth for future generations, every small step we take toward living more sustainable lives is an important one. Free parking may be one small step, but we expect it to be one of many."

Actually, Oak Park already has taken many steps toward being a more environmentally conscious community, including maintaining one of the region's largest alternative-fuel municipal vehicle pools and building Illinois first certified green Public Works Center.

For more information on Oak Park's environmental initiatives, visit www.oak-park.us/environment or e-mail [email protected].

SOURCE Village of Oak Park