2 fast-charging EV stations planned for downtown Decatur

Dec. 2—A two-bay electric vehicle charging station with high-speed chargers that take about 45 minutes to fully charge EVs will be installed behind the Princess Theatre if the Decatur City Council approves the location at its Tuesday meeting.

The chargers would be the first Level 3 chargers in the county, according to the EV charging map at plugshare.com. Level 3 chargers are the fastest that are generally available.

Decatur Utilities received a state grant for $53,800 through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to pay for the installation of the bays.

"Depending on the availability of equipment, we anticipate a time frame of 12 to 18 months before they are installed and operational," DU spokesman Joe Holmes said.

He said he did not know if motorists will pay a fee for the service and if so, how much.

Councilman Kyle Pike said the charging stations will be behind the Princess and take a portion of the city's parking lot near the Cook Museum of Natural Science.

"It's a great location in the heart of downtown. It will allow motorists to grab a bite nearby while their car is charging," he said. "That will help the city generate revenue through sales tax."

Pike said two additional parking spots will be reserved so the charging station can be expanded in the future.

"We're seeing more demand for charging stations, not just for travelers but for local residents, too," he said. "There aren't enough charging stations out there right now. This administration is looking to the city's future and what is needed."

Councilman Carlton McMasters said the council will have to amend a 1978 contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority before the charging stations become operational.

TVA spokesman Scott Fiedler said the federal agency supports the proposal and is working to make EV charging stations commonplace in its seven-state region.

Also, there are plans for up to four EV charging bays in the parking deck under construction at Moulton Street and First Avenue Southeast in Decatur, but city and DU officials said it is too early to say if the bays will be fast-charging models or if there will be a fee for motorists to use them. — Hartselle chargers

Hartselle Mayor Randy Garrison said Hartselle Utilities received $54,963 from the ADECA grant program for a two-bay high-speed charging station. He said the chargers will be located next to the former post office on Chestnut Street.

"I'm excited we have fast chargers on the way," he said. "We have two Level 2 chargers downtown and in the past few months, we're seeing an increase in demand with a lot more motorists stopping to charge up there."

Garrison said he doesn't know when installation will begin.

In the summer of 2020, Hartselle paid $10,000 to pay for the installation of chargers on Hickory Street Southwest. The Level 2 chargers take about four hours to fully charge a vehicle, automotive experts say.

Hartselle and Decatur are two of five cities in north Alabama that received ADECA money for the fast-charging EV projects. Others were Scottsboro, Guntersville and Guin. Seventeen cities statewide received the grants, according to the Governor's Office.

Fiedler said TVA is "in it to win it" on promoting the EV movement and is making more money available to establish charging stations.

He said the federal agency is striving to have fast-charging stations with at least two bays every 50 miles along major highways and interstates in the region by 2026.

"We're partnering with local power companies to get these installed and operational," he said. "We plan to have them installed in about 80 locations with more than 200 bays across our seven-state region. We're looking to invest $20 million to build out the fast-charging network. We're highly focused on EVs for their environmental and economic benefits. We're excited (Decatur and Hartselle) are receiving the grant money. It will help drive tourism and economic development."

He said TVA will reimburse the local utilities up to 80% of the cost of installation of the fast chargers, up to $150,000 per utility.

He said with more EVs on the road, many owners are having "range anxiety," afraid of running out of power because of a lack of charging stations. Some potential EV owners want to see more charging stations before purchasing, while there need to be more EVs on the road before additional stations are constructed, he said.

"We want to take care of the chicken-or-egg problem," Fiedler said. "Our goal by 2028 is to have 200,000 EVs in our region."

Plugshare.com shows five public charging stations in Morgan County and five in Limestone County. There are none shown in Lawrence County.

According to The Associated Press, the Biden administration is developing incentives to encourage companies and governments to build 500,000 charging stations nationwide by 2030.

— mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.