Matthews quick-charge station funded

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MATTHEWS — The town of Matthews has received a grant for an electric vehicle charging station that can quick-charge an vehicle in about half an hour. The charger will be on Matthews Station Street and should be in place before the start of summer. Matthews is one of about 20 locations in the state that is participating in the rollout of the state’s first direct-current fast-chargers.

“We are pleased to be part of this statewide initiative to ensure that people can drive across N.C. in their electric vehicles,” said Matthews Mayor Jim Taylor in a release. “People will be able to park and charge their vehicle while they shop and dine in our downtown core. We believe electric vehicles are gaining in popularity and this is a progressive way for us to also meet the needs of motorists traveling on I-485… With the number of tourists who attend our special events and who are now here to participate in tournaments at the Sportsplex, we envision this charging station being very busy.”

Sean Flaherty, senior planner at the Centralina Council of Governments, added: “According to vehicle registration data from N.C. DMV, there was a 130 percent increase in the number of electric vehicles on the road in N.C. just in the past year. This is a bit faster than the national average. In Mecklenburg County, the number of registered electric vehicles has doubled.”

Partners include Duke Energy, the state departments of Commerce and Transportation and the city of Raleigh. Matthews and Raleigh are working together through the N.C. Plug-In Electric Vehicle Taskforce to support community and statewide planning for the infrastructure needed for electric vehicles.

Funding support for the stations comes from Brightfields Technology Solutions and Nissan North America. Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition at CCOG is providing technical support.