CENTRALINA CLEAN FUELS COALITION

Gov. Roy Cooper and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles helped dedicate North Carolina’s first PoleVolt charging at the Ritz at Washington Heights.

The Ritz at Washington Heights is the first stop for a greener North Carolina.

The PoleVolt electric vehicle charging station, which debuted last week in Historic West End, utilizes existing utility poles to provide community charging access to take advantage of fuel-efficient electric vehicles. The pilot project – a first for North Carolina – is a collaboration between UNC Charlotte, the city of Charlotte and Duke Energy as the final step of a three-year, public-private collaboration.

“Our state is moving toward an equitable clean energy economy and public-private partnerships like this one will help make that happen,” said Gov. Roy Cooper, who was on hand for the dedication and rode an electric car with Mayor Vi Lyles as part of the demonstration.

The PoleVolt project falls under gubernatorial Executive Order 246, an initiative that aims to create a carbon-neutral and sustainable transportation system in North Carolina.
By using existing electrical infrastructure, the PoleVolt project, supporters say, eliminates the need for drilling new infrastructure while cutting installation costs by almost half compared to traditional charging stations.

Mecklenburg County is part of the nine-county Centralina region, where public-private initiatives combine technical support and training. The region is home to the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities initiative to limit climate change and improve air quality through adoption of alternative fuels.
The coalition convened stakeholders for PoleVolt as well as maneuver local ordinances and infrastructure.

“The Centralina region will be a model for EV planning and deployment because of these types of innovative partnerships,” said Centralina Executive Director Geraldine Gardner. “We are already ahead of the curve when it comes to preparing our region for the electric vehicle transition because of the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition. With the opportunities coming through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are ready to engage all of our communities – urban, suburban and rural – to move from ideas to action.”

Said Lyles: When we talk about regionalism, [Centralina] is leading the way in transportation and clean fuels.”

Centralina plans to use best practices from the Ritz station in deployment of other charging stations across the region, and ultimately, the state.

“North Carolina has to be ready,” Cooper said. “We have to make sure that the EV infrastructure is all across our state. The quicker we do that, the more affordable these EVs will be for everyday North Carolinians."

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