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If you’re downtown and your electric vehicle (EV) needs a charge, you can now pop into the Town Hall/Jenks Center parking lot, where two new DC fast chargers are located.
That’s right. Instead of waiting a few hours, your EV can now get a full charge in about 30 minutes.
Sustainability Director Ken Pruitt said the town applied for a grant from both the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and Eversource about three years ago and recently received $180,000 to install the new units.
“That’s the entire cost of the chargers,” Pruitt said. “We’re basically getting them for free.”
Pruitt said the chargers are operated and maintained by a company called FLO, again at no cost to the town. FLO keeps any additional revenue from the operation.
“The town is grateful to Eversource and MassDEP for their generous gift in fully funding our project,” Pruitt said.
What makes these chargers different from the others on Laraway Road, Winchester High School or at the Winchester Public Library?
Pruitt said those six are Level 2 chargers, which dispense electricity at the rate of about 7.5 kilowatts (kW), while the two fast chargers at the Jenks are about 100 kW.
What does that mean for EV users?
Pruitt said with an empty battery, the fast chargers will do the job in about half an hour. A Level 2 charger can take up to eight hours.
“If you’re at home, it doesn’t matter if it’s a slow charger,” Pruitt said. “You just plug it in and it takes hours and hours. But if you’re in an apartment building, you don’t want to drive to the other end of town and leave your car for eight hours. That’s where the DC fast charger is so important for EV drivers. It’s more of a gas station experience where instead of eight hours, it might be 30 minutes.”
Pruitt said besides the two at the Jenks, Bonnell Ford also has six DC fast chargers at its location and several Level 2, as well. He added the new Lynch School will have 18 new Level 2 chargers for staff and of course, lots of residents who own EVs have their own.
As for anyone coming downtown, Pruitt recommends two things: mind the signage because you really don’t want to leave your car at the chargers all day and of course, download the FLO charging App before arriving at the Jenks.
“It’ll make for a better experience,” he said.
