Birmingham Parking Authority celebrated the opening of its first electric vehicle charging station Wednesday at its Avondale Village parking lot.

“This charging station is an important milestone not only for the Birmingham Parking Authority but for the city of Birmingham as well,” said Andre Davis, executive director and CEO of the BPA. “This is the first EV charging station in any BPA parking facility, and it’s the first EV charging station in the city funded in partnership with the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition.”

The Level 2 EV charging station at 109 41^st Street South can charge as many as four vehicles at one time. Davis called Avondale Village an ideal location for a charging station.

“Getting in and out of this parking lot is easy and it is adjacent to the Avondale business district and just blocks away from Avondale Park and the Avondale branch of the Birmingham Public Library system,” he said. “Patrons will also be able to charge their electric vehicle while they visit one of the several nearby popular restaurants or coffee houses, attend a concert just down the street at Avondale Brewery or go to an outing at the park or library.

“This charging station is an amenity we think the public will appreciate.”

Funding for the charging station was provided in part by a grant from the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition through its involvement in Alabama Partners for Clean Air. Drive Electric Alabama, a statewide education platform dedicated to improving the state through the adoption of electric vehicles, assisted with planning and promotion.

Davis said the BPA is developing a Strategic Parking Plan to improve the parking experience in Birmingham. The charging station for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids is one of the new amenities the public can expect from that plan.

“We are remaking the Birmingham Parking Authority,” Davis said. “We not only intend to make parking easier and more convenient, we also want to help businesses grow and attract more customers and provide good services for residents of the city. We are thankful to the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition and our other partners for making this project possible.”

As the ribbon was cut signifying the opening of the charging station, several EVs were being charged. Alabama Power provided a Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck and the city of Birmingham provided a Chevrolet Bolt from its vehicle fleet to be charged during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mark Bentley, executive director of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, made his Tesla available for the event.