Schmitt hopes to install the second charging station in the downtown area, but Lansing Board of Water and Light project manager Angie Goodman said it is difficult to find a location that meets the several qualifications.

“(We need to find) a location that would not only benefit participants in our program, but other electric car drivers,” she said. “(It) would have to be accessible easily, and the property owner would agree on the location.”

The installation of the station — which costs about $8,000 depending on different variables — will be funded by a $750,000 appropriation granted to the Lansing Board of Water and Light for the purpose of introducing electric vehicles and their infrastructure into the Lansing Board of Water and Light’s coverage area. So far the appropriation has funded the installation of 27 charging stations, with the library location slated to be the 28th.

Goodman said users will be able to utilize the station free of cost.

The electricity will be provided by the city of East Lansing and Schmitt expects minimal cost due to the small amount of electric car owners in the area.

“If you charged (a car) for eight hours a day, (the cost would) still be pennies,” he said.

One of the issues with an electric car is the substantial time it takes to charge, Goodman said. For a Chevy Volt that was completely depleted, a full charge could take three to four hours, making it difficult for more than one person to use the station.

However, Matt Stehouwer, MSU technology manager for the College of Natural Science and driver of a 2011 Chevy Volt, said the nature of a library makes it a perfect location for a charging station.

“A library would be a great place to put one because people would read books and do other things,” he said.

Schmitt said the charging stations further East Lansing’s position to become an environmental leader and lays the framework for up and coming technology.

“If electric cars are intended to be the next big thing, it’s important to get that network started early,” he said.