WAKE COUNTY, N.C. -- Electric car owners say a rural charging station project would be helpful for them.
- The N.C. Electric Cooperatives will install 21 rural electric-car charging stations over the next few months
- The stations will be open to the public
- Electric car owners say the availability of charging stations plays a big role in their driving decisions
The N.C. Electric Cooperatives announced they will install 21 electric car charging stations in rural areas at a cost of $1 million. Ten of them will be DC Fast charges capable of recharging a depleted battery to 80 percent within 30 minutes. The other 11 will be Level 2 chargers which charge more slowly, but still provide 10 to 20 miles' worth of battery power per hour.
According to the map maintained by electric car group Plug-in NC, charging stations can be found all over the state but are clustered primarily around urban areas. NC Electric Cooperatives' Diane Huis says the project would focus primarily on areas popular with tourists, such as mountain areas and state parks. Huis, herself an electric car owner, says the availability of charging stations influences, among other things, her choices of where she takes bike trips.
Arnie Aldridge says he recently switched from an electric car to a hybrid because there were too few charging stations between his home and his job. He says this limited his ability to run unexpected errands and says he would probably switch back to an electric car if more charging stations were available.
Natalie Benson says she has no plans to switch from an electic car back to a gas powered car, but runs into range issues monthly. She says her car's limited range prevents her from driving it to her in-laws' home. However, despite the infrastructure issues, she says she's convinced she made the right choice.
"It's actually been really wonderful and I hope to never have a not-EV vehicle again," she said. "I have worked really hard to try to be sustainable. I love never having to go to a gas station.”
Duke Energy is also trying to get approval to build some 800 charging stations.
“As you grow, you have neighborhoods that have a lot of EVs in them. So maybe we have to upgrade facilities. So part of our pilot program that we're proposing is to study the impacts EV ownership will have in the future. Not just now but maybe 20 years down the road.”