Valley boasts several electric car charging stations

San Luis Valley REC's new electric car charging station/Courtesy photo

VALLEY — Clarifying that a proposed electric car charging station will be installed by May at Colorado Gators, this is not the first charging station in the San Luis Valley. It is being funded through Charge Ahead Colorado and through that funding is the only one in the Valley.

However, there are already several charging stations around the San Luis Valley including one installed in December in the San Luis Valley REC parking lot, which is open to the public and listed on the PlugShare map. REC decided to install the charging station after much research, a survey of the membership, and the ambition to raise interest and awareness of electric vehicles in the San Luis Valley.

The unit is a dual-port Level 2 PowerCharge. The cooperative will be offering a six-month trial period for folks to stop by and try it out.

In the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives’ National Survey of Cooperative Difference, 2016-2017 edition, it was asserted that “Plug-in electric vehicles have the potential to change the future of transportation while adding much needed electric load to our grid. Identifying market potential, targeting members based on demographics, and understanding recharging behaviors of households using EVs play a critical role as EVs enter the mainstream.”

According to PlugShare.com, REC is now one of seven charging locations in the San Luis Valley. The Frontier Drive In project will also be installing one at their location soon as well.