Tazewell County Supervisors to look at getting electric vehicle charging stations

Greg Jordan, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·2 min read

Sep. 8—TAZEWELL, Va. — Cars and pickup trucks powered by electricity instead of gasoline or diesel fuel are becoming more common, so the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors will be looking at the possibility of creating places where these vehicles can recharge their batteries.

Members of the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors had a discussion during their September meeting about EV (electric vehicle) charging stations.

"We were approached by a resident over in Burkes Garden, and they wanted to try to partner with the county to put in a charging station over in Burkes Garden," Supervisor Charles Stacy, Eastern District, said Wednesday. "So we are looking at grant funding opportunities."

The EV stations would be "lower level" models that are less expensive, but slower at recharging electric vehicles, Stacy said.

"It would be kind of an introduction to charging stations in Tazewell County. To my knowledge, there are no charging stations in Tazewell County," he said. "But we are looking at a couple of locations that might be suitable. Just to get us on the map with EV vehicles, Tazewell County would hopefully have several options for charging electric vehicles."

Besides visitors driving electric vehicles, the charging stations would serve county residents who own them already.

"We have numerous residents with electric vehicles," Stacy said. "We just don't have any prescribed charging stations in the county either by businesses or the county."

Another possible location for an EV charging station is the Historic Crab Orchard Museum. Tourists using electric vehicles could stop at the museum and explore the museum's exhibits while the batteries are recharging, Stacy said.

"We're looking at grant options and some capital improvements," Stacy said about possible funding. "It would be a good start to see if the need exists in the county for any of our visitors for EV stations."

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com