PT the Auditor
Charging Stations, Lights and a ‘Secret’ Powder
I spent a couple of days in Pittsburgh in lateMay check- ing out the companies that exhibited at the 2011 IPI show.
Iwas looking for a couple of items thatmy customers needed. First was hybrid or electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
Therewere a bunch of
them.My client has a shopping center and wants to be considered “green.” This is one way he felt he could do so.
What I foundwas that the charging stations cost about $5,000
and could cost asmuchmore to install, depending onwhere your electrical panel is in relation to where you would want to put the station. The interesting thing is that there seemed to be a lot of “deals” offered bymanufacturers. I believe I could get the
Oh, we will put one in: We like the publicity and the little
arrowinGooglemaps showingwhere charging stations are locat- ed. I will be very interested to see just how many of these electri- calmarvels actually showup. The other item I was seeking at the IPI expo was new light-
charging stations installed for vir- tually nothing, assuming my client qualified for rebates from the government. That would be perfect, of course, since in reality these are for “show,” at least for the first fewyears. I thought that with the stations Imight gain some customers
from the garage across the street, but figured that if I did so, in a couple ofmonths theywould install a fewstations andwewould be right backwherewe started. I considered charging for them, but since the amount of elec-
tricity to top off an EV or plug-in hybrid was about $3, it would costmore than that to collect (using a credit card). Some of the systems were connected to a revenue control
system– use your ticket to activate the charger and paywith your parking payment. One minor problemtherewas that I already have a revenue control system. (It’s a good add-on if you are replacing equipment, but I doubt my client would spend a million bucks so he could get a fancier charging station.) There are other issues deal-
ing with how to control the spaces; how much to charge (do you chargemore for peoplewho charge their cars, including the convenience of the charging sta- tion and the space in one fee?); how to determine how many you need; and, in the end, do you supply an “e” valet to jock- ey cars around and ensure that the charger is available to all who need it? (My guess is the $45K the last would cost would not be on the top of my client’s to-do list.)
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We like the publicity and the little arrow in Google maps showing where charging stations are located.
ing for my client’s garage. Here we had a winner. A number of exhibitors were happy to provide quotes after viewing my proj- ect. There is little question that new technology such as LED lighting can save us a bundle. (I’msure this is one “green” project my client will embrace quickly. It makes economic sense.) Two other items caught my
eye. First, I spent an hour with a company that makes a powder that “eats” oil spills. You sprinkle it on the oil and sweep it up later. Just like kitty litter, you say.
Not really. This material actually contains an enzyme that eats the oil and pulls it out of the asphalt.
Its appears to be good stuff, and if the demonstration the exhibitor promised is as good as he says, it will replace the 50- pound bag of Tidy Catwe use eachmonth. I also noticed enclosures for the new pay-on-foot machines
that we are installing. They looked good, were all-weather, and will fit justwherewe need to put them. I was impressed that these small companies spent the time
andmoney to exhibit at the IPI show. Frankly, being able to touch, feel and, yes, sniff their products makes a huge difference. Four companies will receive orders from me in the next year. I’m sure of that. Trade shows are an excel-
lent place to research items for your garage or parking opera- tion. Two more major industry events are coming up: TheNational ParkingAssoci-
ation (NPA) is holding its 2011 Convention & Exposition Oct. 3-6 in LasVegas (
www.npapark.org). The NPA offers a special dis- count for folks visiting only the exhibit floor. And the 2012 Parking
Industry Exhibition (PIE), spon- sored by Parking Today, is slat- ed for March 18-21 in Chicago (
www.parkingtoday.com). Also check the calendar on PT’s website – you might find a smaller parking-related event near your hometown.
“It givesmemore energy than five grande espresssos..” Woof! PT Parking Today
www.parkingtoday.com
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