Charging Station For Electric Vehicles Installed Downtown

Fri, December 16, 2011

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KMUW / Carla Eckels

Westar Energy’s charging station for electric vehicles was officially dedicated Thursday in downtown Wichita. KMUW’s Carla Eckels reports.

The green and white 240-volt charging station has been installed in the north parking lot outside Westar Energy’s general office. Westar is the largest electricity provider in Kansas. The company currently has eight electric vehicles in its fleet including two Chevy Volts, four Ford Transit Connect vans, two Smith Electric Vehicles and two Nissan LEAFs.

Westar’s Jim Ludwig says the charging station will allow electric vehicle drivers to top off their charge while downtown.

“This station is to sort of to wet the appetite of consumers as you come by here,” says Ludwig. “Probably you’ll most often see one of these brightly painted Westar electric vehicles plugged in but we will leave it open occasionally, especially as we hear from dealers that customers are beginning to buy the cars and drive them. We do want it to be convenient for them.”

Ludwig says one of the great attractions of electric vehicles will be the convenience.

“Both in low operating cost but also in the ability to fill up as it were, charge up at home,” says Ludwig. “I think that’s going to be a big a selling point for electric vehicles.”

Ludwig says Westar is looking at proposing rates that would be favorable to people who are charging electric vehicles. Westar installed its first charging station in Topeka and plans two more in Emporia and Lawrence.