Seattle has what King 5 News, an NBC affiliate in Seattle, is calling a first-of-its-kind solar EV charging station.

North Coast Electric cut the ribbon Wednesday on a new electric car charging station at its South Seattle headquarters that also collects and stores solar power.

Battery storage
The station, manufactured by EV4, will store power using batteries. The system will make the power available to the local public utility, Seattle City Light, by utilizing a smart grid module manufactured by GridMobility a Kirkland, Wash. company. The EV4 canopy combined with GridMobility technology will allow North Coast Electric and its customers to partially charge their cars with renewable energy.

"We believe we should not move our transportation from fossil fuels in the tank to fossil fuels to generate electricity," Grid Mobility President James Holbery told King 5 News.

The solar panels will produce just part of the electricity customers will get when they power up at the station. However, advocates, including Seattle City Light, told King 5 News that they feel it is a step in the right direction.

Several more stations are planned for the area.

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