OREANDA-NEWS. Customers who park their plug-in electric vehicles in the east and west parking garages at Denver International Airport will soon be able to charge up at one of 10 new electric vehicle charging stations.

The charging stations, which are scheduled to be installed this fall, will be free to customers who pay to park in the garages. The chargers are compatible with most electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, including popular models such as the Chevy Volt, the Nissan Leaf and the plug-in version of the Toyota Prius.

“We have seen an increase in the number of customers who drive electric vehicles to the airport and plug them into existing electrical outlets in the garages,” said Kim Day, Denver's Manager of Aviation. “These new charging stations are more convenient, safer and designed to work specifically with electric and plug-in vehicles. The airport continues to evolve to meet the needs of our customers and support the city's Greenprint Denver sustainability initiative.”

Five charging stations will be installed in each parking garage and will be located on level 1 between rows E and F. Signs will designate the spaces for use by electric and plug-in vehicles only. Illinois-based Telefonix,

Inc. was selected as the winner of the competitive bidding process to provide the charging stations.

“This is one of the first major public installations of commercial Level 1 electric vehicle charging systems in the United States, and I can't think of a better place than at Denver International Airport - which already has a reputation as being one of the greenest airports in the world,” said Allen Will, director of business development and programs of Telefonix, Inc. “This project will set a new standard for airports that want to provide the best possible customer experience for drivers of plug-in electric vehicles.”

Most commercial charging stations are designated as Level 2, which requires 240-volt infrastructure and are far most costly to install. DIA selected Level 1 stations because they are efficient, inexpensive, cost far less to install and will meet the needs of airport customers. The stations will provide a full charge to most plug-in vehicles in about eight hours, while the average DIA customer parks for 1.4 days.