If electric cars are going to become a staple of American roads, they're going to need chargers near prominent routes. And VW's Electrify America is about to address that. The company has revealed plans to install the first EV charging stations along the Ohio Turnpike, a 241-mile toll road meant to speed up trips in the state's northern corridor. This deployment will be modest, with four-dispenser units at Genoa's Blue Heron and Wyandot Services Plazas as well as West Unity's Indian Meadow and Tiffin River Services Plazas. However, the chargers will be fast — each unit will offer between 150kW to 350kW, so it might take just minutes to top up your next-generation EV.
The sites were chosen based on expected near-term EV demand, Electrify America said.
These won't be as useful if you're driving a Tesla vehicle (the company has Superchargers in areas relatively close to the Turnpike, but not alongside it). Nonetheless, it could go a long way toward reassuring EV drivers wondering whether they'll have enough electricity to complete a trip on the road with enough charge left to get home.
We'd expect the number of stations to expand over time. Electrify America will likely offer only so many when its first national network will include nearly 500 locations and 4,800 chargers, including locations such as Target stores and Walmarts, but the competition isn't likely to ignore what could be a lucrative area.
Newspress USAReporting by Jon Fingas
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