E-bike charging ports coming to Devonshire Mall

Shoppers will soon be able to pick up more than clothes, books and jewelry at Devonshire Mall.

Starting April 13, they’ll also be able to charge their iPhones, iPads, computers and other mobile devices as well as e-bikes at a pair of charging stations being installed by Windsor’s Green Sun Rising.

A solar bench, featuring mobile device charging ports, will be located on the mall’s forecourt near Tim Horton’s and the e-bike station will be installed in the parking area where e-bikes now park across from the Tim Horton’s and Buffalo Wild Wings entrance.

“We’re seeing a growing demand among our customers for these services,” said Chris Savard, mall general manager. “We’d like to think we’re taking a leadership role in green initiatives and this is part of our continued commitment to sustainability.

“We also decided to use a local company and keep this partnership within the community,” said Savard. “Green Sun has been very receptive to the idea since we first contacted them late last year.”

Klaus Dohring, president of Green Sun Rising, said it will be the fourth e-bike charging port installed by his company across the city.

“We expect more will follow as the popularity of e-bikes increases,” said Dohring. “It’s a great opportunity for our company to partner with a national chain and provide a service for its customers.”

The solar bench will be part of a nature garden being created with the co-operation of the Naturalized Habitat Network, featuring flowers and grasses which are native to this region.

“We plan to turn the entire area around the bench into a self-sustaining garden,” said Darrell Lauzon, operations supervisor at Devonshire. “We may not be able to get all the flowers in place by the time of the unveiling but most will be ready to go.”

Green Sun has also installed charging stations at Trike My Bike at 9500 Walker Rd. and at Scoot-A-Long at 2521 Dougall Ave. as well as at Green Sun’s plant on Kildare Road. The other solar bench charging station is located in front of the Leddy Library at the University of Windsor.

Green Sun is being paid by Devonshire for the equipment, installation and maintenance, said Dohring, but there is no fee for charging e-bikes and mobile devices.

“A full e-bike charge would take between two and four hours but most people will only need a top-up to get them to their next destination or home,” said Dohring. “A full charge would be good for about 50 kilometres.”

The charging station will also be able to charge electric wheelchairs as well.

Dohring said his company has already had a meeting with officials from mall owners Ivanhoe Cambridge to discuss expanding the program to other malls in the company’s portfolio.

“It will depend upon the success and popularity of the Devonshire project which we’re expecting will be considerable,” said Dohring.