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BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – The city of Montevallo now has a public electric vehicle charging station available in the heart of its downtown business district.

Mayor Rusty Nix cut the ribbon at the charging station located at 550 Main St., directly across from City Hall, during a ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 14.

 “This is such a wonderful day for our city,” Nix said. “As we see more and more EVs on the road, it’s inevitable that more of them will make their way into our beautiful city. Whether those visitors are here for a University of Montevallo athletic event or to visit Orr Park or are just passing through, it’s important to have public charging available for EV owners. It’s another way for us to signal that downtown Montevallo is open for business.”

 Funding for the new charging station was provided by a grant from the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition (ACFC) through its involvement in Alabama Partners for Clean Air. Drive Electric Alabama, a statewide education platform dedicated to improving the state through the adoption of electric vehicles, assisted with planning and promotion of the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“These chargers are the type called Level 2, which are intended for an EV driver who plans to park and leave their car charging while they shop, eat, or visit one of Montevallo’s schools, parks or other attractions,” said Michael Staley, president of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. “EV sales are on the rise, but a lack of charging infrastructure is still a top reason people are apprehensive about driving an EV.  It’s great to be a part of this highly visible project in downtown Montevallo that is definitely helping close the gap.”    

The new charging station, which offers two plugs, became operational in late July.

The ACFC grant also funded construction of a separate EV charging station with two charging ports, which will be open soon, at Village on Valley, a cluster of businesses located at 1205 Ashville Road in Montevallo.

“We are excited to announce a convenient and safe place for electric vehicle charging in our historic business district for local residents and visitors,” Nix said. “We know that more and more people are driving electric vehicles, and we want them to know they are welcome to stop and visit our businesses while their car is charging on our new Level 2 chargers.