Bessemer City installs electric vehicle charging stations
Leaders of Bessemer City hope the latest additions to downtown will draw in drivers of Teslas and other electric cars.
The growing popularity of electric vehicles has encouraged municipalities, like Bessemer City, to equip their streets with charging stations. That popularity has also pushed longtime auto makers Chevrolet, Nissan, BMW, Ford and more to add all-electric vehicles to their lineups.
Bessemer City unveiled two “Level 2” electric vehicle charging stations earlier this summer — one located on either side of the train tracks running through downtown. Each station is free to use and can charge up to two vehicles at once, according to Bessemer City Economic Development Officer Josh Ross.
Level 2 chargers can charge a completely-empty “tank” between four and six hours, depending on the size of the car’s battery, according to Greenlots electric vehicle solutions.
One station is located in the public parking lot on West Virginia Avenue across from Blossom Bar & Grill, and the other is located along West Pennsylvania Avenue. Together, the bee-branded stations cost $32,103 and were funding by Bessemer City’s economic development fund.
Many electric vehicle stations can be an eye-sore if placed in a downtown or high-traffic setting, but Bessemer City’s stations are minimalistic, low-impact and resemble a typical post in a park.
“They were shipped in the mail and we got them at City Hall. I’m like, ‘where’s the rest of it? This is it?’ I was thinking of some big charging station,” Ross said. “It doesn’t require as much infrastructure from the ground up.”
Those who use the station won’t see any buttons. Ross said users will need to download the Greenlots app and enter the station number to activate the charger.
With Bessemer City’s new stations, Gaston County now has 20 active charging stations, according to the PlugShare app; however, Bessemer City’s stations are now the only in western Gaston County.
“We felt like these stations really opened up an opportunity for people with electric vehicles not in just Bessemer City but really the western part of Gaston County,” Ross said.
One of the objectives of the project was to attract those traveling through Gaston County on Interstate 85 or U.S. 74. Ross hopes those people will support local businesses by dining or shopping downtown while refueling their vehicle.
″[It] could even help service people that are passing by on I-85 or going to Crowders Mountain State Park. Places for them to draw them in and solicit local businesses while they’re waiting for their vehicle to charge,” Ross said.
“If they are there for a quick charge, they can go grab a bite to eat, they can go in to a local store, they can hang out in Centennial Park or walk their dog. There’s a lot of things they can do that doesn’t take that much time,” he continued.
Source : gastongazette
