Level 1 Charging at Vermont Park and Ride Lot

120 Volt Outlets for Electric Vehicle Charging

Traveling through Vermont this summer, we spotted a blue and white EV charging wayfinding sign along State Route VT-107 between Bethel and Royalton. This particular sign was remarkable because it had “LEVEL 1” printed on it. We did a U-turn and pulled into the Royalton Park & Ride lot to investigate.

The parking lot was full of the “EV LEVEL 1” signs attached to light posts. Beneath each sign was a 120V outlet about waist high on the light poles. In total there were 16 power outlets for EV charging in the lot.

The Royalton Park & Ride lot opened in November, 2020 and cost about $834,000 to construct. The winning bidder, L & M Service Contractors, budgeted $158.80 for each Level 1 electric vehicle outlet according to a Vermont Agency of Transportation Bid Results document. Most of the other bids were around $1,000 per outlet with $1,250 being the highest. It’s hard to tell from the bid results exactly what the specifications were for installing the outlets.

A VTrans map of Vermont Park & Ride lots shows there are other locations with Level 1 EV charging outlets. Randolph has seven Level 1 outlets, Colchester has 11 Level 1 outlets and Middlesex has two Level 2 charging stations in its Park & Ride lot.

Hooks to Hang Level 1 Charging Cable

Just below each pair of electric outlets, the poles were outfitted with brackets for hanging the mobile charging cord that EV drivers need to bring to plug into the outlets in order to charge. These brackets are a clever idea that I’d never seen implemented before. It’s a good design to relieve the strain on the plug and socket. Kudos to Vermont for including these helpful hooks.

A Vermont Park & Ride Facility Plan published in December 2015, noted that VTrans plans to install Level 1 EV charging stations at new Park and Ride lots and any time lighting is being installed at existing lots.