City of Newberry unveils EV charging station

NEWBERRY — The City of Newberry held a ribbon cutting ceremony last week for its new electric vehicle (EV) charging station. The station is located in the Newberry County Library parking lot, closest to the intersection of Johnstone and Caldwell Streets.

Utility Director Tim Baker said the EV station is part of the Plug in SC initiative encouraged through the South Carolina Energy Office. Through their research, they have identified several challenges hindering the development of the electric vehicle market in South Carolina.

“The most important reason that consumers are hesitant to purchase EVs is due to the uncertainty surrounding recharging. To make matters more complicated, current EV charging stations are often overlooked due to inadequate and inconsistent signage,” the Plug in SC incentive program overview states.

Every major vehicle manufacturer in the United States has announced plans to increase their manufacturing of electric vehicles, with the majority of their fleet estimated to be electric by 2030, Baker said.

Under the leadership of Newberry City Council, Baker said they identified that there were limited charging opportunities located within the city limits.

“Council asked city staff to find an appropriate charging solution and location to install the city’s first electric charging station,” Baker said.

The location for the EV charging station was chosen for its walkability to just about anything in downtown Newberry – from shopping, dining, entertainment and more. This allows those waiting on vehicles to charge the opportunity to explore what Newberry has to offer.

Mayor Foster Senn thanked Newberry County and the library for allowing the city to install the station in their parking lot.

“The City of Newberry is among the leaders in South Carolina in my opinion, in municipal innovation. Every one of our departments has done something creative and innovative to make things better for our citizens,” Senn said. “Our utility department is recognized as a leader among its peers in innovation such as their advanced metering and more recently broadband fiber optics with fiber available to every home and business in the City of Newberry, which is quite an accomplishment.”

The charging station utilizes a Level 2 Siemens 50AMP charger, third generation, and has a J-1772 charging plug, making it universal for use with any electric vehicle. Two vehicles can charge at the station at a time, with it taking between two to four hours on average to fully charge a vehicle. This station is the first of its kind in the state.

“The City of Newberry always strives to provide big city amenities with small town charm. So, when we heard about the increase in manufacturing in EV cars, the city felt it necessary to pursue options to provide this service locally,” said City Manager Matt DeWitt. “We are in hopes that with the increase in electric vehicles, that there will be an opportunity to add additional stations around the city, giving visitors a reason to pull off and stay with us for a little while, as they charge their vehicles.”

Initially, the charging service will be provided at no cost to users to encourage the use of electric vehicles, Baker said. As the city is a partner in the Catawba Nuclear Station, Baker said over 90 percent of their power is carbon free.

“So, this truly is a green alternative for us and we’re excited about that,” he said.

Ben Kessler, with the South Carolina Energy Office, said the charging stations were a wonderful thing for the city to have and promote, especially with its location near the Newberry Opera House, library and Main Street.

As the technology of electric vehicles becomes more abundant, Baker said City Council may want to add additional charging locations within the city. The signage and pavement markings of the Plug in SC standards were used at this location, Baker said, and the new site location has been added to PlugShare, the EV Charging Station Map.