PPL Electric Utilities, a Pennsylvania electric provider, recently donated eight Level 2 charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid-electric vehicles to the state.
The stations will be installed in a Harrisburg garage to power EVs owned by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Level 2 charging stations take up to three hours to recharge a hybrid vehicle and up to eight hours to recharge an electric vehicle. They cost between $500 and $1,000, excluding installation costs.
Level 2 and Level 3 charging stations are an upgrade from the standard 120-volt outlet and charge vehicles faster
The state is participating in a three- to five-year pilot program to identify the environmental and financial value of an EV fleet. So far, 25 EVs have been added by various state agencies.
The state’s Department of Environmental Protection was the first agency to participate.
“We all play a role in reducing our carbon footprint,” Curt Topper, Department of General Services secretary, said “We’ve already taken steps to ‘go green’ in our buildings and facilities, so the logical next step is to now look at how we can be more environmentally friendly with the cars we put on the road on a daily basis.”
PPL Electric Utilities currently uses 15 hybrid-electric vehicles in its fleet.