WEST VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AUTO ASSOCIATION
  • Home
  • Resources
  • Photo Gallery
  • EV Blog
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Events
  • About
  • Drive Electric WV

join the rEVolution!

what's happening with fast charging in WV

7/16/2021

22 Comments

 
There is no doubt in the minds of many, including yours truly, that electric vehicles are the future. The piece that we’re missing, especially here in West Virginia is fast charging for EV travelers. Tesla has the West Virginia interstates covered pretty well and is adding more chargers, but CCS fast charging is virtually non-existent. And when I say fast charging, I’m thinking at least 50kW, which really isn’t all that fast in this day and age. However, it’s vastly better than a level 2 plug when you just want to grab some charge while hitting the restroom, grabbing something to drink, and getting back on the road.

Recently though, we’ve started to see some movement. At the state level, the West Virginia Department of Transportation has committed to spending some of the Volkswagen “diesel gate” settlement funds on two DC fast chargers to be installed at the Capitol Complex in Charleston and Tamarack in Beckley. I have heard that they may be operational by the end of the year and am crossing my fingers.

On the municipal front, the cities of South Charleston and Nitro have also expressed interest in adding DC fast charging to attract travelers to their locations near interstate 64.

On the commercial fast charging front, Electrify America (EA) has announced an expansion to several new states including West Virginia by 2025. No specific timeframe was announced, but it is good to see West Virginia being added to the list of states served by EA!

Last, but certainly not least, Tesla is adding additional capacity to serve travelers in West Virginia. New V3 Superchargers (250kW of power per stall now going to 300kW in the future) are being installed in Morgantown and Wheeling, near existing 150kW V2 Superchargers. I have also heard that Ripley may be getting a new Supercharger, so more options and faster charging in store for Tesla owners. I travel from Martinsburg to Charleston periodically, so a 250kW+ charger in Morgantown is a nice addition!

It’s starting to feel like West Virginia is taking some positive steps toward our wild, wonderful, and electric future!
22 Comments

    Author

    Robert Fernatt - EV, solar, and coffee aficionado. Also, cat servant.

    Archives

    June 2022
    March 2022
    October 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Resources
  • Photo Gallery
  • EV Blog
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Events
  • About
  • Drive Electric WV