Electric Car Charging Station Opens in Alamo

The Nevada State Department Energy has opened an electric car recharge station in Alamo. It is located right next to the Lincoln County Physical Therapy office on U.S. 93.

Ken Maxwell, manager of Alamo Power said, “It’s part of Phase II of the EV Highway Project started by Gov. Brian Sandoval, although Alamo Power owns and will maintain it, available 24/7.”

Another one is located in Panaca at the Y Station. “These are Level 3 DC Fast charging stations,” Maxwell said. “Level 1 is what you would find with a normal house outlet. Level 2 is what is upgraded to a 240-volt house plug. It’s all about the duration of time it takes to charge. Level 1 is about 24-48 hours, Level 2 around eight hours, but the Level 3 fastcharge takes only about 45 minutes.”

He said, “Greenlots is the company that operates the billing for the station. You can sign up for a Greenlots subscription or you can use your standard credit or debit card. Use it just like you would at a regular gas station pump.”

A person pays by the kilowatt hour, he said. “A full fast charge at the Alamo station will cost a $2 session charge, then 35 cents per kilowatt hour.”

The distance a vehicle can go before needing another charge depends on the type of electric vehicle a person has.

At the present time, Lincoln County may only have one or two private EV cars, so most of the people who use the stations will be out-of-town travelers.

Another station is being considered to be placed at the NDOT Sunnyside rest area on SR 318 and there is one in Ely.

The Department of Energy has placed a number of charging stations on U.S. 95 towards Reno.

A map of nationwide locations is on www.PlugShare.com

Dave Luttrell, manager of Lincoln County Power said the state had funding they wanted to spend on this and did so. “It was a great opportunity for LCPD and Alamo Power as a joint project to work together. We’re seeing a little bit more and more use of these cars in Lincoln County and this is putting some of the needed infrastructure in rural Nevada.”

A charging session can be done even in rainy weather.