The age of the electric car is upon us. And that goes for South Carolina, too. On December 8, Charleston-based Plug-In Carolina officially opened the state’s networked charging station system. The ceremonial event took place at the Statehouse in Columbia.
Plug-In Carolina is a nonprofit entity founded four years ago by Jim Poch. He is at the front of the effort to clear a path to make Electric Vehicle (EV) driving a legitimate option for motorists in the state. “The market is ready for electric vehicles,” Poch says. “There are (vehicle) choices available now and dozens of models of electric vehicles will soon hit the market.“ He adds that there is a lot of momentum in the industry and that he expects improvements to battery efficiency and performance as the industry evolves.
Plug-In Carolina has been trying to keep pace with the action. Using federal grants and money from the S.C. Energy Office, in the amount of $480,000, Plug-In Carolina has put a statewide infrastructure for plug-in vehicles in place. As a result, more than 80 charging stations have been deployed in Columbia, Spartanburg, Greenville, Rock Hill, Union, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Blythewood and Charleston. The Eaton Corporation installed the charging stations to provide public EV access at locations in municipal parking garages, public streets and retail locations.
The effort is a popular one and has received support from large South Carolina utility companies, including SCE&G in the Midlands, Santee Cooper in the eastern portion of the state and Duke Energy in the Upstate.
The charging network that was opened in December is the first of its kind in the state, but according to Poch, more charging stations will be opened in this year.
Poch says he wants to encourage businesses and municipalities to join the electric vehicle (EV) movement and help create an infrastructure of support for the use of EVs. The cost to power an EV is drastically lower (less-than-a dime-a-mile according to some estimates) than gas-powered vehicles. Normal time for a full charge is eight hours — the time normally spent in a conventional work day or sleeping overnight.
In 2010, Chevrolet released the Volt amid much fanfare and between now and 2012 other EVs are scheduled to hit the road. The Volt travels 40 miles on a full charge. Just about every major carmaker, from Audi and BMW to Ford, Hyundai and Toyota has an EV on the road already or models are projected to come out in the next year. The price of the vehicles is comparatively high, with compact models priced in the $35,000-plus range. Most of the EVs run on conventional fuels, too. Tesla, a sporty EV made in California, debuted in 2008 and costs around $100,000. It boasts a 0-to-60 acceleration time of 3.7 seconds and goes 244 miles on a charge, according to the company.
Regardless of price, the EV is seen as the wave of the future as the price of petroleum-based fuel becomes higher and more complicated to obtain.
Poch says having the charging stations on line will make the use of the EVs a practical option. He also says being proactive in securing charging sections has other advantages. “It shows South Carolina is a player in the industry and that results in jobs and investment in the state.” Poch says the industry has drawn thousands of jobs and millions in investment to South Carolina. In the next five years, he believes the market for EVs will expand as innovation and volume expands.
To be ready for the future of EVs, Poch says the placement of charging stations, to allow for strategic and practical re-charges throughout the state, is essential.
“People need to have a comfort level that there will be adequate ability for charging,” says Poch. “They have to be able to use the cars around town and across the state. If you drive to Greenville from Columbia, you need a charging station for the trip,” he says.
“To have publicly accessible stations ensures drivers (that there will be energy available) to get them back home.”
About Jim Poch
Before Poch became executive director of Plug-In Carolina, he worked in the field of sales and marketing for 15 years. In his earlier career, Poch specialized in emerging technologies. He worked for IBM, two Internet start-up companies and he spent five years as vice president of sales in the healthcare industry. But about four years ago, he decided to pursue his passion for clean, domestic energy by establishing Plug-In Carolina.
“I had the opportunity to take on a new challenge and I went for it,” Poch says.
Since making the move, Poch has worked to bring together civic, business and environmental leaders who have an interest in accelerating EV use. He says the benefits are environmental, economic and national security-related.
With support from Duke Energy, SCE&G, Progress Energy, Santee Cooper and the Piedmont Municipal Power Agency, Poch travels the Carolinas to educate the public about EV technology.