Recharging rides

Rampart becomes first casino to offer place to plug in electric cars

Jerry Henkel/View Bob Rosinski, chief executive officer of EV-Charge America, right, hands off the keys to his electric-powered Porsche to valet Chris Charlton at the Rampart Casino at the Resort at Summerlin, 221 N. Rampart Blvd., May 21. The casino recently installed a charging station in its valet parking area that is free for casino patrons to use. Jerry Henkel/ViewRampart Casino valet Chris Charlton plugs an electric car into the casino?s new charging station, May 21. The casino partnered with Coulomb Technologies to become the first casino property in the valley to offer a recharging station. Advertisement

The wave of the future has come to Summerlin -- or at least to the Rampart Casino, 221 N. Rampart Blvd. In a business deal with Coulomb Technologies, it is the first casino property in town to offer a recharging station for electric cars.

However, patrons are not exactly lining the driveway to use it.

"We only have one patron with an electric car, that I know of," said John Shaughnessy, a security guard for the casino. "Actually, I've never seen it."

Likewise, David Garth, a valet parker, said he's never seen an electric car pull up since starting the job in 1999.

"But we get plenty of hybrids," he said.

The cars that will be rated for this type of energy, said Bob Rosinski, chief executive officer of EV-Charge America, are expected to come off assembly lines later this year.

"It's the gas pump of the future," he said of the unit.

Russell Lord, an engineer at The Free Energy Store, 300 Utah Ave., which designs and installs alternative energy solutions, said there are about 100 electric cars in the valley. But a surge in the number of electric cars is expected in 2010, he said, as that's when different manufacturers are scheduled to put them on the U.S. market.

"There's even a car that runs on air, being developed in France," he said.

Rosinski estimated that within three to five years, as many as 20 percent of all valley vehicles will run on electric energy.

"We're not waiting for the big car manufacturers to get their act together," he said.

Right now, electric cars can't be used for long trips without recharging. How many miles do they get per charge?

"You're doing good if you can get 50," said Jon Hallquist, a board member of the Las Vegas Electric Vehicles Association, who also is involved with two other electric car entities. "That's 25 miles out, and 25 back."

If someone has developed a vehicle that goes 100 miles or better, they can qualify for the 100 Miles to a Charge Club, accessed through grassrootsev.com.

On the current Rampart unit, installed on April 20, only one vehicle can be charged at a time. Recharging takes anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours, depending on how drained the vehicle's batteries are. Units already are being produced to charge two or four cars at a time, Rosinski said.

The modest equipment now sits just inside the garage, a little sign overhead, pointing it out. It was installed by EV-Charge America. EV stands for electric vehicle. Coulomb Technologies developed the ChargePoint Network, a subscription recharging service for those with electric cars. It offers several monthly plans, from $15 per month for 10 nighttime charging sessions, and up to $50 per month for unlimited charging at anytime.

But Rampart is offering the service free to its casino patrons.

"We hope to raise the bar by encouraging other properties to partake in this form of forward-thinking environmental responsibility," said Peter Maksymec, general manager of Rampart Casino.

Contact Summerlin and Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.