It's a "green" sign of the time. A new electric vehicle charging station was installed at Best Western Plus near the Fresno Yosemite International Airport.
"We're basically the first hotel in the San Joaquin Valley to have the EV chargers," said Maria Freitas. "We believe that we can possibly start a trend here in the city of Fresno."
Freitas with Best Western says for a small fee, local residents can use the station for some power, and travelers can also catch a charge when visiting or passing through.
"We're hoping to draw people that are coming to the San Joaquin Valley," said Freitas. "Whether it is for corporate business or pleasure, because now they have a place they can stop and charge their vehicles. Even if they're traveling through."
Electric vehicle drivers can go only go so far on a charge, so they use web sites like plugshare.com to plan their route. Fresno has a few stations, and the Best Western is just the latest on the map.
Over at Hedrick Chevrolet in Clovis, co-owner Brett Hedrick showed us how the company's charging station works. Chevrolet offers a variety of electric and hybrid vehicles.
"Number one for economics," said Hedrick. "They're tired of paying for gas. They don't like the fluctuations in gas prices. And number two it's environmental. They want to do a better job for our environment."
Hedrick says the demand isn't high in the Valley, but it is becoming a thought for some customers. He says more charging stations will make it appealing for customers to purchase the cars and to travel.
Best Western employees say they hope their new eco-focus and charging station will not only be good for travelers, but also for business.
