Seeking to attract affluent visitors, the Napa River Inn on Main Street is installing three electric vehicle charging stations in the middle of its downtown parking lot, said Sara Brooks, hotel general manager.
This brings to 13 the number of Napa Valley locations where these ultra-green vehicles can refuel.
The three stations include one made exclusively for Nissan Leaf electric vehicles and two other stations that can charge other models such as the Chevy Volt or Tesla.
There’s actually enough charging outlets for five cars total to charge at one time, said Brooks.
The project, estimated to cost between $30,000 to $40,000, includes the three stations plus a 440-volt transformer unit to power them.
“Nissan was looking for a central location in the Napa Valley to put their fast charger unit,” said Brooks. The fast charger is “a powerful unit that can charge the Leaf from empty to full in about 20 minutes,” said Brooks. “It’s pretty nifty.”
The Leaf charger typically costs about $40,000 but in this case, Nissan gave Napa River Inn the unit. “That was amazing,” said Brooks...