‘Big game changer.’ City touts new type of electric car charging spot in west Charlotte
Charlotte unveiled a new kind of electric vehicle charging station in West Charlotte on Thursday, a charging station created in a partnership between the city, Duke Energy, Centralina Regional Council and UNC Charlotte.
The electric charging station, called PoleVolt, uses existing streetlights to provide free charging for electric vehicles.
The station is the latest move in the state’s push to increase use of electric vehicles. North Carolina will soon receive $109 million from the federal infrastructure bill, Gov. Roy Cooper said at the station on Beatties Ford Road.
Cooper said he expects market competition to push down prices on electric vehicles, making them more affordable. The average cost of an electric vehicle is around $56,000, according to Kelley Blue Book.
“We’ve got to make sure the charging infrastructure is here so we’re ready for that,” he said. “And it’s got to be in all of our communities.”
In December, there were 4,221 electric vehicles registered in Mecklenburg County and nearly 25,000 registered across the state, according to the NC Department of Transportation.
And as of July 2021, there were 2,554 charging ports in North Carolina, according to data compiled by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
The new charging station’s software was developed with the help of UNC Charlotte students, including junior Phillip Harmon and senior Grady Harwood.
The program started as a university project in October 2019, Harmon and Harwood said. Now, the project is hitting the streets of Charlotte. “It’s been a pleasure to be the change you want to see in the world,” Harwood said.
Charlotte’s Historic West End
The new PoleVolt is at the Ritz at Washington Heights at 1201 Beatties Ford Road.
It’s important for the city to develop electric vehicle infrastructure in all areas, especially in underserved communities, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said.
“Somehow this part of town did not gain the economic opportunities that others have,” Lyles said.
Creating strong infrastructure for electric vehicles is a key part for a North Carolina’s clean transportation plan, Cooper said.
And that plan must include a focus on environmental justice, he added. “For too long, we’ve left behind underserved communities, communities of color and we need to make sure that our actions in the climate arena take all of that into account,” Cooper said.
Air quality
The new charging station is also a step forward in Charlotte’s goal to improve air quality.
A 2018 air quality report by Clean AIRE NC found residents of Historic West End, a majority Black community, were more likely to be exposed to toxic diesel pollution and pollution from facilities than residents in areas like south Charlotte, a majority white community.
Diesel trucks continually drive down the highways that slash through west Charlotte. And the area is dotted with more facilities and industrial sites that are permitted to emit pollution into the air than whiter, more affluent south Charlotte.
A neighborhood movement to monitor and improve west Charlotte’s air quality is being led by researchers and residents.
National data supports their preliminary research — people of color are 61% more likely to live in a county with unhealthy air than white residents, according to the American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report.
Ron Ross, with air quality initiative Historic West End Green District, said the installation of the PoleVolt station will “ignite tremendous opportunities for this community and communities like ours,” potentially attracting new employers.
Ross and others hope to implement a green district along the Beatties Ford Road corridor. The charging station is a step in the right direction for both improving air quality and opening new economic opportunities, he said.
“This is a big game changer for economic opportunities and upward mobility within our community,” Ross said.
Observer reporter Devna Bose contributed to this article.
This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 5:12 PM with the headline "‘Big game changer.’ City touts new type of electric car charging spot in west Charlotte."
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