High-speed, electric vehicle charging stations may come to Nelsonville this winter thanks to the efforts of Nelsonville City Manager Scott Frank and a grant opportunity available through American Electric Power.
Frank spoke with Nelsonville City Council’s Planning and Development Committee at a Sept. 22 meeting and received the committee’s support in pursuing the project. The location being considered for the installation of charging stations is on Columbus Street, near the Nelsonville Public Square.
Currently, Nelsonville is home to one electric vehicle charging station near Stuart’s Opera House. The Level Two charging station can take several hours to fully charge a vehicle. The new Level Three charging stations — in which the Planning and Development Committee expressed interest — would make it possible for drivers to achieve a much quicker charge.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Jones said at the meeting, “I think that will bring more people to the area, if they know that they can go from pretty much zero to a full charge. And doing it at that Columbus Street area will bring people to our downtown area, which is what we want, to bring people into town for commerce and exploring.”
Frank said he expects grant funding from AEP would support the full cost of two charging stations, while providing about $40,000 for installation. The city would need to cover any additional costs, and Frank was not yet certain whether additional funds would be needed.
Regardless, the project will require approval from Nelsonville City Council. Frank hopes to iron out the details and seek Council’s approval as soon as the Oct. 7 meeting, or perhaps at a special session.
Jones told The Messenger she expects council to move ahead with the project.
“I don’t think it will meet any resistance from the rest of city council,” Jones said. “We’re seeing locally – I work in Athens – I’m seeing a lot more electric vehicles around. I’m seeing a lot more on the highways, and I have several friends that have them now. I know that they’re always looking, when they’re plotting their routes, for places to stop and charge up. So, I think we’re excited about the opportunity that AEP has presented with this grant to put in a fast charging station close to the public square.”
Frank said the city needs to move quickly, because, in order to secure grant funding, the charging stations have to be installed by the end of January.
“I don’t want to miss the opportunity,” Frank said. “Anything that we can do to lure people into Nelsonville is going to be good for Nelsonville. And I definitely think that electric vehicles are the future, so the quicker we can get on board and support electric vehicles, the better off we’ll be.”