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Issaquah, WA – April 9, 2025 – Issaquah Commons, a major retail hub in the Seattle suburbs, has flipped the switch on 16 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, marking a significant step in its sustainability push. The Level 2 chargers, now live across the property, allow shoppers to juice up while they browse, dine, or run errands.
The installation beefs up the shopping center’s existing charging capacity, which previously included a handful of older units. These new stations are spread across multiple parking zones, making them easily accessible from popular stores like Target, REI, and the nearby movie theater. Each charger can deliver up to 7.2 kW—enough to add roughly 25 miles of range per hour for most EVs.
“We’re seeing more customers driving electric, and they expect to charge where they shop,” said a spokesperson for Issaquah Commons’ management firm. “This upgrade is a direct response to that demand and aligns with Washington State’s goal of putting 2 million EVs on the road by 2030.”
The move comes as Washington leads the nation in EV adoption per capita, with over 120,000 registered EVs as of early 2025—a 40% jump from the previous year, according to the Washington Department of Licensing. Local incentives, including sales tax exemptions and rebates for home chargers, have fueled the surge. Retailers across the state are racing to keep pace. For instance, Bellevue Square added 20 chargers last fall, and Seattle’s University Village now offers 30.
What sets Issaquah Commons’ rollout apart is its integration with a demand-response system. The chargers are networked to adjust power draw during peak grid hours, potentially lowering operational costs and reducing strain on the local utility. This behind-the-scenes tech is part of a pilot program with Puget Sound Energy, designed to test smart charging at scale.
Environmental advocates have welcomed the expansion. “Putting chargers where people already park is the most efficient way to build out the network,” said Dr. Ellen Park, a transportation researcher at the University of Washington. “Retail centers like Issaquah Commons are low-hanging fruit—they eliminate range anxiety for a huge chunk of daily trips.”
The financials also make sense. Industry data from the U.S. Department of Energy shows that publicly accessible Level 2 chargers cost
