Electric Vehicle Institute (EVI)
- RS Automotives, a gas station in Takoma Park, Maryland, has switched its petroleum pumps out for electric vehicle chargers.
- The station received a grant of $786,000 from the Electric Vehicle Institute and the Maryland Energy Administration, CNBC reported.
- An 80% charge, which will take 20 to 30 minutes, will cost about $5.10, the Washington Post reported.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
A gas station in Maryland has become the first in the US to switch its petroleum pumps out for electric vehicle chargers.
RS Automotives, a gas station in Takoma Park, Maryland, decided to make the switch after its owner Depeswar Doley decided he was unhappy with oil and gas contracts, CNBC reported.
The gas station received a grant of $786,000 from the Maryland Energy Administration and the Electric Vehicle Institute for the project.
"Maryland is proud to be a national leader when it comes to clean and renewable energy, climate change, and the promotion of electric infrastructure and vehicles," said Governor Larry Hogan in a statement. "This fully-converted, gas-to-electric charging station is a prime example of our administration's commitment to the environment and transportation."
There are over 20,700 registered electric vehicles in Maryland, as well as a local electric taxi service. However, prior to the opening of this new station in September 2019, there were only two public electric vehicle chargers in the area. Now, almost four months later, Doley states that he is "happy" and that "business is okay."
"We're a few years ahead of the curve, so we didn't expect it to open and and [say] 'wow we're making tons of money.'" Doley told Business Insider. "It's a slow process, but we are happy with the numbers and we see somebody coming in and using the charger [everyday]."
Doley now receives calls from people around the country inquiring how to go about opening their own electric vehicle charging station.
"I am a business owner able to share my thoughts and ideas [about] how to open up an electric [charging station]," Doley said. "It's encouraging many people."
About four to five EV drivers stop by to charge at the station on a daily basis, which is in line with its original goal of achieving daily use, CEO of Electric Vehicle Institute Matthew Wade told Business Insider.
"It's a very unique project and we weren't quite sure what usage was going to look like [and] how it was going to operate," Wade said. "There were a lot of unknowns. [But] based upon the numbers we've been looking at, there's this kind of excitement that it's working.
Take a look at the construction process and the "refuelling" station now: