As the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) continues to rise across the country, an EV charging station is now available at Northeast Alabama Community College. The college has installed a ChargePoint Dual Port Level II charging station in the main parking lot adjacent to Alabama Highway 35. Two ports are available.

"We see this as a service to our community. All indications are that we are going to see more and more EVs in the future," stated NACC President Dr. David Campbell. "I particularly want to thank our Educational technology Director, Mrs. Patricia Falk, for her work on this. She proposed the idea and followed it through to completion!"

ChargePoint chargers can charge any vehicle. Tesla EV owners require an adapter to use the NACC ChargePoint station. The rate for charging is $1 per hour.  There is a 1-hour grace period to disconnect your vehicle once fully charged. After the grace period ends, the rate will increase to $2 per hour. There is a $25 maximum fee per session.

"Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations are one way that NACC can promote our faculty, staff, students and community to be environmentally friendly,” said NACC Educational Technology Director Patricia Falk. “We at NACC want to set the standard by providing this service."

NACC’s charging station is available to the public 24/7. Drivers of an EV can use the PlugShare app when searching for charging stations. Plugshare is a free EV driver's app for iOS, Android, and web, allowing users to find charging stations, leave reviews, and connect with other plug-in vehicle owners.

ChargePoint is a well-known electric vehicle charging station network. On ChargePoint’s website, users can create an account and download an app for their phone to find available charging stations as well as other features to do with charging electric vehicles, similarly to the PlugShare app.

Alabama’s new initiative, Drive Electric Alabama, reports that Mercedes-Benz is creating more than 600 new jobs in a $1 billion expansion into the EV market. Additionally, Hyundai is investing $7.4 billion to produce EVs worldwide, including in Montgomery. Governor Kay Ivey has awarded 18 grants to help Alabamians switch to EVs.