By Charlotte Smith
Four County Electric Membership Corporation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, December 8th, in honor of their first Electric Vehicles (EV) Charging Station in the area. Bladen County was in a “donut hole” without the EV Charging Station, but now motorists may stop and charge up in the mother county.
Although it was a rainy day, many attended the ceremony. Four County’s Chief Executive Officer, Don Gatton, welcomed everyone to the event. There were a host of elected officials and business leaders present.
Gatton explained that Four County and other co-ops across the state are working to provide EV charging stations because electric vehicles are becoming more prevalent.
Diane Huis, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Development with Four County, reported between 2020 and 2021, there has been a 50 percent growth in EV registrations. She also announced a new Toyota battery plant coming near Greensboro would stimulate economic development in the state.
“It’s going to be like the smartphones,” Huis predicted, “It’s hard to see anybody without a smartphone now, and I think electric cars are going to be like that.”
“We are now up to 72 chargers across the state and 129 ports,” Huis said. The EV charging stations serve NC residents and help motorists from out of state. Thus far, Huis reported over 4,000 people had used the new stations.
Electric cars by Tesla and Chevrolet were on-site for people to test drive. The full impact of electric vehicles on the plant and economy is yet to be seen, but many are hopeful EVs will replace conventional vehicles.
Huis, a Tesla driver, explained EVs are cleaner for the environment, save on fuel, and provide a better quality of life.
Watch a video from the ceremony on our YouTube Channel linked below.
Town of Elizabethtown Town Manager, Dane Rideout, spoke about the importance of offering EV chargers in the area. “We as a town and county need to start looking very carefully at what this is going to bring to the area.”
According to officials, areas offering EV Charging Stations benefit from tourists and their disposable income. The closest stations for electric vehicles were in Wilmington, Fayetteville, and Robeson County. Four County Electric has closed the “donut hole” in Bladen County by installing the EV Charging Station in Elizabethtown.
Rideout thanked Four County for having the vision to provide an EV Charging Station in Bladen County. Dignitaries in attendance discussed the importance of adding more charging stations to the area.
Four County EMC Board of Directors members, Kenneth Thornton Jr. and Ronald Allen, cut a green ribbon to celebrate the historic occasion. After the ribbon was cut, some people took the opportunity to explore the features of the EVs on-site and enjoyed hot coffee and pastries.
The Charging Station is at the Four County EMC office parking lot. The address is 2668 Highway 242 South, Elizabethtown, NC.
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