(Not) coming to a town near you

the sorrow and the pity: ORCA weeps for her dead, towed tesla

Belfast, Maine shows off two new public charging stations. Each cost $23,500, and can charge two cars at a time. The time allowed is 3 hours, at a charging rate that yields from 12-80 miles per hour.

The cost of a “smart” parking meter is between $250-$500, with dumb coin ones costing far less. You see lots of parking meters in towns, usually one per parking space. If they each cost $23,500, you’d see (a lot) fewer. I don’t imagine many car owners would care if there wasn’t a parking meter on the street outside their apartment, but if that same street becomes an elephants’ graveyard of dead cars, you’ll probably hear complaints,