By Randy Arrington
STANLEY — The small town of Stanley, Virginia is now on the “the map.” The population of just over 1,000 is now among locations across the commonwealth where owners of electric vehicles can stop to get a charge.
“The Town of Stanley is making a difference,” said Matthew Wade of Virginia Clean Cities. The non-profit organization worked with the Town to place an Electric Vehicle Charging Station at Ed Good Memorial Park.
“We wanted to be proactive, and we also want to attract new tourists and to do that we need to attract those with electric vehicles,” Town Manager Terry Pettit said prior to a ribbon cutting on Oct. 28. “It’s a great plus for the Town.”
The new public Level 2 electric vehicle charging station was made possible by funding from the Virginia Department of Energy under their pilot charging station program. Virginia Clean Cities offers a locator map for finding charging stations, and Stanley now finds it self on that map.
Virginia Clean Cities is a non-profit organization based at James Madison University. VCC advances air quality improvement, economic opportunity and energy security through deployment of alternative fuel vehicles, infrastructure and education programs. The non-profit hopes the placement of these charging stations will create an incentive for the purchase of more electric vehicles in the area, as well as reducing vehicle emissions and contributing to tourism.
VCC was involved in the Commonwealth of Virginia’s initial EV charging station deployment on highway corridors and in major metropolitan areas. VCC now has an increased focus on Virginia’s rural areas to ensure these communities can access EV charging as well.
“Our biggest polluters are cars,” Wade said of fossil fuel burning vehicles in general. “This is the decade where we will make a difference. It’s an exciting time to be in the industry…I think electricians are going to be busy and in high demand in the coming years.”
Wade said the charger in Stanley is American-made, with American parts, provided by California-based Clipper Creek, who worked with VCC on the project. He touts electric vehicles as being 90 percent efficient, compared to a gas-powered engine, which is rated at 40 percent efficiency. He compares the cost of running an electric vehicle equivalent to paying $1 a gallon for gas.
While the Town will be billed by Shenandoah Valley Electric for the electricity used, the town manager said the cost would be minimal and is considered an investment in the Town and in local tourism.
“We’ll see how this goes and then maybe look at putting one out at Hawksbill Park next,” Pettit said.
The EV charging station at Ed Good Park is free and open to the public.
“We hope people will use it,” Pettit said. “Come and enjoy the park while you charge.”
For more information about Stanley, visit www.townofstanley.com
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Congratulations! This is something every town needs – it shows the town values those who come to visit. I appreciate the effort made to get this done.