The North Carolina Department of Transportation installed four electric vehicle-charging stations in popular rest stops due to the efforts of a local engineering company.
2010 saw N.C . State making efforts to become more fuel-efficient by installing electric vehicle charging stations at the McKinnon center. Just one year later, the City of Raleigh made efforts to accommodate the increasing number of electric car owners when they installed two electric car chargers downtown near City Hall. This year, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has joined the efforts due to a Green Business grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, which was awarded to a local engineering company, Praxis Technologies, Inc.
On Wednesday of this week, the North Carolina Department of Transportation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for two new electric vehicle-charging stations at the Alamance County Rest Area. These charging stations are two of four total that were installed by the Department of Transportation in the state. The other two are located in Johnson County.
These rest stop locations bring a combined total of approximately one million visitors per year, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. NCDOT communications officer, Julia Casadonte , says this marks the beginning of an effort the Department of Transportation has been looking into for quite a while.
“This past year we conducted some studies about electric vehicles and became interested in installing some chargers. We know that the technology is coming along in North Carolina, so when we were approached by Praxis Technologies, Inc with the donation of four charging stations, we accepted,” Cassadonte said.
Praxis Technologies Inc. received the funding to purchase these four electric vehicle-charging stations when they became the recipients of a grant from the N.C . Department of Commerce Green Business Fund Program, according to Skip Kurz , Praxis CEO.
“We were awarded a grant to demonstrate the technology available for electric vehicle charging in North Carolina markets,” Kurz said. “We chose to work with the Department of Transportation because of the volume of people the chargers could be exposed to.”
Although these city and state efforts to become more fuel-efficient have the potential to reach large quantities of people, here at N.C . State, some feel the McKinnon Center charging stations are a well-intentioned waste.
“I think that installing the vehicle chargers would make more sense if more students drove electric cars,” said Caitlyn Duran, commuter and junior in social work. “It’s a really good effort, and it’s a cause I appreciate, but right now it seems like those funds could have been put to better use.”
The electric vehicle chargers at the McKinnon Center were the first at the university, but due to their location in an area of campus where classes are not held, students cannot reap the rewards of this amenity.
As the University prepares for a possible tuition increase and class sections continue to be cut, it remains to be seen whether N.C . State will further its two-year-old effort to become more fuel efficient.
As for the future of this initiative in the state, hopes are high but funds are limited, says Lynn Graham, the City of Raleigh’s program manager in the office of sustainability.
“At this point in time, we have expended all grant funds slated for [electric vehicle charging] stations across the state,” Graham said.
