West Virginia Parks To Get EV Charging Stations

Wild Wonderful West Virginia

We love driving the Tesla out to the mountains of West Virginia. The winding mountain roads are loads of fun to drive in an electric car. It is a paradise for one-foot driving pleasure. Press the accelerator for instant torque to go up the mountain. Let off the pedal to slow down entering the next curve or to let the EV regenerative braking control a long descent.

The only down side to taking an EV when visiting the home of the Mountaineers is the lack of charging stations in much of the state. Tesla is planning to install three or four Superchargers according to the map of future locations on the Tesla website. But to attract and accommodate visitors with any kind of electric vehicle, West Virginia State Parks is planning to install EV charging stations for overnight guests.

“There are not a lot of other states that have this many interstate systems running through it,” said Paul Redford, district administrator for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation. “We are sitting in an area perfect for more electric car stations.”

West Virginia State Parks plans to install one Schneider Level 2 (240V, 30A) charging station at each of the State Park’s lodges. The funding came from a WV Division of Energy grant and it will be free to use the stations. The parks with lodges include Blackwater Falls, Cacapon, Chief Logan, Hawks Nest, North Bend, Pipestem, Stonewall Jackson, Twin Falls and Tygart Lake. The units should be operational by the end of September, 2016.

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