Electric cars are expensive and not that common yet but they're gaining in popularity.  As News 13's Jennifer Lynch tells us businesses and firefighters are already preparing for more to hit the road.

The sun is a powerful source of energy and a Chevy Volt is taking full advantage.

Phil Coupe, co-founder, ReVision Energy, says, "The solar electricity is powering the charging station."

It's the first solar powered electric car charging station in Maine.

Coupe says, "It will charge an electric car in four to six hours depending on what you're driving and how low the batteries are."

A big difference than just plugging your car into an outlet which takes 12 to 14 hours.  But it's expensive. The solar electric system at ReVision Energy on Presumpscot Street in Portland costs about $8 to 10 thousand dollars and the charging station around $2,000.  Plus, the electric car at about $40,000.   It's a lot of money but people are curious.

Coupe says, "It's been a really wonderful car to drive. It's reliable in the first two months and it's silent."

The silence has been a safety concern for pedestrians, but there are other safety concerns.  All the changes mean new ways of saving lives for firefighters and that means education.

Lt. Robb Couture, South Portland Fire Department, says, "What we like to do is get our hands on these and actually work on them and see the systems and really see how they work."

And they have an app for that. Firefighters at the South Portland Fire Department use an app with a color coded diagram for all cars on the road - anything in red means danger. 

Couture says, "If we have a question on scene sometimes it pays to take that extra second to look and make sure we know where we are cutting that we are cutting in the proper spot."

That seems to be the biggest concern. Some of materials the electric cars are made from are very strong and at times the jaws of life tools don't work so well leaving firefighters injured. They also have to know how to disconnect the battery. It's knowledge imperative as the popularity of electric cars grow.

Coupe says, "There's nothing more gratifying than never stopping at a gas station."

And for Coupe, he hopes more and more drivers turn to the power of the sun to power their cars.

Coupe says there is owner of a parking garage in Portland looking at installing a solar powered electric car charging station.Solar Power and Electric Cars