Oregon Public Broadcasting

A company in Bend has installed what it says is the first vehicle charging station in Central Oregon.  David Nogueras has more.

Sunlight Solar's charging station is more a technological demonstration than a commercial moneymaker. It takes six to eight hours to fully charge each car.

It's not an issue now since there's only about 750 of these cars in the state.

That's because in the U.S., you can't get a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle right off the lot. Instead, you have to retrofit your current hybrid and that can be pricey.

But Chance Currington with Sunlight Solar says that could change.

Chance Currington: "Very soon, in the next couple years, the next generation of Toyota Prius and Insights and Escapes and Volts are going to come out with the plug as a PHEV and they're going to be able to be charged at our station and others like it."

Currently the charging station uses the same outlet that you would plug your toaster into. 

But Currington says the station will eventually upgrade to a system that would cut the charge time down to just a couple of hours.