AUSTINBURG â A new electric vehicle charging station is set to open in the next several weeks at Pilot Flying J.
âWe see our EV network as an essential service,â Pilot Head of Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure Brandon Trama said. âWe are connecting the metro areas where EV owners can charge at home or at retail locations by building EV chargers in areas often considered âcharging deserts,ââ
âWeâre here to meet the needs of all North American road travelers. That is one way we try to show people they matter at every turn. It doesnât matter if youâre an EVer RVer, hybrid driver or diesel driver â youâre welcome to fill up and fuel up at our travel centers,â Trama said.
He said the opening of the new charging station is on-track for late this month.
âWe are proud to bring our charging experience to local EV drivers and those traveling I-90 along Lake Erie,â Trama said. âOur coast-to-coast EV network is being built in collaboration with our partners General Motors and EVgo.
âOur companies have come together to curate the best-in-class EV charging experience and build the stations in ideal, often highway-based, locations to connect metro areas populated with public and private EV charging infrastructure.â
He said the station will have a canopy to protect vehicles and motorists from the elements, good lighting and other amenities that already exist at the station.
âWe want Pilot to be EV ownersâ favorite place to charge, other than their homes,â Trama said.
The charging station is part of a plan to give owners of electric vehicles places to recharge their cars on short and long trips.
âWe are grateful to be working with such great partners at the local and state level who have make this EV charging station a reality, and we look forward to continuing our working relationship,â Trama said.
According to the U.S. Department of Energyâs website, there are presently three charging centers in the county. One is located at the Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, another at the Dr. James K. Bissell Nature Center in Morgan Township, and the final one is at Truck World in Conneaut.
Geneva City Manager Joseph Varckette said the city has applied for grants to build charging stations, but has so far been unable to secure the funds.