Local News

New Triangle charging stations add juice to electric car boom

For electric car drivers, filling up isn't as easy as stopping at a gas station, but a growing network of electric car charging stations in North Carolina is expanding the driving range for those battery powered cars.

Posted Updated

RALEIGH, N.C. — For electric car drivers, filling up isn't as easy as stopping at a gas station, but a growing network of electric car charging stations in North Carolina is expanding the driving range for those battery powered cars.

Car company Tesla recently installed a bank of their Superchargers behind the Target at North Hills. Kristi Brodd, with nonprofit Plug-in NC, said additional chargers help drivers plan where they can get more juice.

"Having electric vehicle charging stations installed at shopping centers, along travel corridors, is really important for drivers to know they can plug in as they're traveling," Brodd said.

Brodd said there are about 7,500 electric vehicles in North Carolina, and that number is rising about 50 percent every year despite low gas prices. The growing number of gas-free vehicles means there's more demand for spots to plug in.

"We're seeing a lot of growth in the infrastructure," Brodd said. "Especially this year alone. So, I think year after year we're going to see more stations being installed."

Those Superchargers at North Hills are the first in the Triangle. There are others along the Interstate 40 and Interstate 85 corridors, in Burlington, Nash County and Warsaw.

The Superchargers work only for Teslas, but there are separate chargers at North Hills for other plug-in vehicles.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.