Effective Jan. 1, Roanoke Electric Cooperative is offering its member-owners a reduced rate for charging their electric vehicles through a new pilot program. The co-op is encouraging member-owners who own an EV or who are interested in purchasing one to participate in the EV Pilot Program.
“EV adoption rates have grown tremendously nationally and in North Carolina over the past several years. Although the adoption in our region is at a very early stage, the co-op anticipates this trend will grow locally in the near future,” said Curtis Wynn, the co-op’s president and CEO.
The co-op’s new rate, a flat fee of $50 per month for up to 450 kWh, is ideal for EV owners who charge their vehicles overnight during non-peak hours and who drive 50 miles or less each day. The driving range for an all-electric vehicle typically ranges from around 80 to more than 300 miles on a full charge.
Additional program benefits are noted as follows:
- For the $50 per month subscription rate, EV owners can keep their battery-operated vehicle charged enough to drive nearly 1,500 miles.
- The $50 flat rate compares to the nearly $185 it would cost to keep a 20 miles per gallon gas-powered car going for that same distance.
- Participating EV owners will have the added convenience of “re-charging” at home with a new charging station, valued at $1,700. Under the new EV Program, the charger will be professionally installed in homes, at no upfront cost to the member owner.
“Our goal is to inform and educate members about EVs,” Wynn said. “We would also like to sign up as many member-owners as possible for our 2020 pilot program, so we can strengthen our services and learn from our program’s results.”