Several new electric vehicle charging stations are coming to under-resourced locations in Tucson.

The new charging stations are coming to the city through a partnership between Volta, an electric vehicle charging and media company, and Tucson Electric Power.

These eight stations will not only increase the number of charging stations in Tucson, but they are being installed with an additional purpose: to provide charging stations to under-resourced areas.

Volta said it is focusing on bringing charging stations to disadvantaged communities. On Thursday, the company unveiled its first two charging outlets in southern Tucson in front of Cinemark Theaters at 1300 East Tucson Marketplace Blvd.

Powering travel: Arizona gets $76.5M for electric vehicle charging; state wants station every 50 miles on interstates

Brandt Hastings, Volta’s chief commercial officer, said the partnership with TEP is an example of how the company is trying to close the "gap that exists in charging availability. That can only be accomplished in public and private partnerships.”

The gap Hastings is referring to is a lack of charging stations in under-resourced communities. Black and Hispanic neighborhoods had less access to charging stations, according to an article in the Washington Post.

This comes on the heels of a new Tucson ordinance passed earlier this summer requiring commercial development, multi-family, office, and retail buildings to include EV stations as well as conduit to support future expansion of EV capacity. The ordinance will be put into effect on Dec. 1.

Volta’s strategy is to build public charging stations where there are large numbers of renters to close the equity gap and build “an accessible charging network for all,” Hastings said.

He pointed to the almost 40% of Tucson residents who rent their homes, according to 2018 data, which is 10% above the national average. To make electric vehicle charging more equitable, and to decrease barriers for people wanting to switch to electric cars, Hastings said public charging is the answer.

Hastings noted how many electric vehicle charging companies focus on home charging, but for people who rent homes or live in apartment buildings figuring out how to charge an electric vehicle becomes more complicated.

In addition to making charging stations publicly available, the company wants to install them in places where people are already going in their daily lives.

In the case for Tucson’s first two Volta charging stations, drivers can charge their cars while going to the movies or shopping at Walmart, which is located next to the cinema.

The charging stations are hard to miss. The chargers have large bright screens displaying community messages or advertisements allowing Volta to gain revenue through advertisers.

“This advertising revenue allows Volta to build critical EV charging infrastructure in all types of communities, regardless of how many drivers own an EV in that area today,” the company said, in a press release.

With this revenue, the company offers drivers their first two hours of charging for free.

Volta told The Arizona Republic it is finalizing the details of where the remaining six chargers will be located, which will impact installation timelines.

Coverage of southern Arizona on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is funded by the nonprofit Report for America in association with The Republic.

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New EV charging stations coming to under-resourced areas of Tucson