Electric vehicle owners are able to charge their vehicles at 11 newly installed charging stations at Mercer County facilities.
County officials announced the installation of the dual-port Level 2 ChargePoint electric vehicle (EV) charging stations were open and ready for the public on June 28.
Electric vehicles used by the public are charged $1 an hour for the first four hours of charging. The price increases to $5 for every hour after the first four hours of charging till the vehicle is fully charged, according to the county.
“The availability of additional charging stations around Mercer County will benefit electric vehicle owners and, we hope, help reduce the ‘range anxiety’ that might prevent other consumers from investing in electric vehicles,” Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said.
He noted the initiative will help raise awareness about the environmental benefits of gasoline alternatives “as we further our commitment to increasing sustainable practices throughout the county.”
Eight of the 11 charging stations are available 24/7. The charging from the new stations adds about 10 to 20 miles of range to a plug-in electric vehicle per hour of charging time, according to the county.
The locations for the new charging stations include Boathouse at Mercer Lake, 334 South Post Road, West Windsor; Hopewell Valley Golf Course, 114 Pennington-Hopewell Road, Hopewell; Mercer County Administration Building, 640 South Broad St., Trenton; Mercer County Improvement Authority, 80 Hamilton Ave., Trenton and the Mercer County Office Park, 1440 Parkside Ave, Ewing.
The EV stations at Mercer County Technical Schools Assunpink Center, 1085 Old Trenton Road, Hamilton and Mercer County Technical Schools Sypek Center, 129 Bull Run Road in Ewing, are available at certain times.
Currently through Aug. 31, the station is open Monday from 7 a.m. 3 p.m., according to the county.
From Sept. 1 through June 30, the EV station will be open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Friday, 7 a.m.- 4 p.m.
The EV station at Mercer Meadows (Hunt House), 197 Blackwell Road, Hopewell, is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., which will be changed to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. after daylight-saving time ends.
Additionally, EV stations have been installed at Mercer Oaks Golf Course, 725 Village Road West, West Windsor; Mountain View Golf Course, 850 Bear Tavern Road, Ewing; and the Princeton Country Club, 1 Wheeler Way, West Windsor.
The cost of purchasing and installing the ChargePoint Chargers was partly funded by an $88,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)’s “Pay$ to Plug In” Program.
The program is designed to expand New Jersey’s growing network of electric vehicle infrastructure, reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality, according to the state program.
County officials said they are pursuing funding to “offset the remaining cost of the total $393,827 project.”
Those seeking to use the additional ChargePoint EV charging stations can download the ChargePoint App through the Apple App Store or Google Play.