Oct 26 2012
Progress Energy Carolinas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, has installed six plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging stations in South Carolina, as part of its commercial charging station research program.
These are the first public-access charging stations Duke Energy has installed in the state. The host sites will cover the cost of electricity during the research project. The new stations are ready for use and two each are located at:
- City of Hartsville’s Fifth Street parking lot
- City of Florence’s parking lot, corner of Irby and Cheves Streets
- Hilton Garden Inn, 2671 Hospitality Blvd., Florence
“The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles continues to grow in our communities and we’re committed to helping ensure our infrastructure is ready for their eventual widespread use,” said Clark Gillespy, Duke Energy state president – South Carolina. “This research project gives us insight into the electric system’s state of readiness to accommodate charging equipment, which will help us as we transform into the transportation fuel providers of the future.”
Data collected from the stations will help the utility evaluate charging needs outside the home, impact on the grid and the costs and issues associated with installing public-access charging stations. These insights will help the utility better plan for the large-scale adoption of PEVs.
Progress Energy Carolinas has now provided 36 public-access PEV charging stations at commercial and governmental locations.
The utility plans to have provided 40 public-access charging stations in the Carolinas at the completion of this research project.
These are level-2 charging stations, which means they use a 240-volt circuit instead of a standard 120-volt home outlet. A level-2 charging station can charge a PEV three to five times faster than a typical outlet.
Progress Energy Carolinas will own and maintain the charging equipment for the duration of the research project, which ends April 2013. Ownership and maintenance responsibilities will transfer to the commercial customers at the conclusion of the research project. The utility has also installed 150 charging stations at homes in its service area, as part of its “Plugged In” residential charging station research program.
The commercial and residential charging station research programs are partly funded through a smart grid grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.