If you drive an electric vehicle (EV) and need a place to charge it, the City of Lenoir has now added another charging station in downtown.

The City recently opened a new, ChargePoint EV charging station at 613 West Avenue NW. The two-port station is in the parking lot behind Fire Station 1. That brings the total number of EV charging ports in the city to more than a dozen.

When North Carolina announced the Level two Charging Infrastructure Program, the Western Piedmont Council of Governments (WPCOG) submitted applications for several local governments in the area. The program is funded with VW Settlement funds. The VW Settlement is an agreement between the German automaker and the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Governor Roy Cooper designated the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to manage North Carolina’s share of the funds. In Phase 1, nearly $30 million was awarded for projects across the state. Phase 2 of the VW Settlement invested nearly $68 million on more projects to significantly reduce NOx emissions and improve air quality.

Click the following link to learn more about the WV Settlement funds in NC, https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/air-quality/motor-vehicles-and-air-quality/volkswagen-settlement.

“DEQ pushed out the program, and we seized on it and tried to assist our members with the program,” said Ben Willis, Community & Economic Development Director with WPCOG. “We wanted to help get those funds into the region and create a more robust EV charging network.”

City staff prepared the site location before installation and will maintain the charging station. Today, there are there are 14 charging ports in Lenoir. The new station and the City’s other EV charging station at 107 Boundary St SW are currently free to use.

The new station cost $11,468 and majority of the cost is being funded by a grant from the State’s Level 2 Charging Infrastructure Program. The City is covering the remainder of the costs.

“I think the new station in Lenoir is in a great location, and is a great addition to the Downtown area, It will allow people to enjoy downtown businesses while they are charging, and hopefully it will attract more people into the downtown area.”