Governor Cooper and Mayor Lyles visited the unveiling of the new first of its kind in North Carolina PoleVolt charging station outside of the Ritz at Washington Heights Park. The curbside EV charging station uses existing streetlight infastructure to cut down the costs of installing an EV charging station by as much at 50 percent. 

The Ritz at Washington Heights Park is located in the Historic West End. In 2018, several community leaders formed the Historic West End Green District. This initiative was designed to improve air quality, reduce emissions, and improve health. Making this location perfect for the free-to-use charing station. 

The project has been brought to fruition by the partnership of Duke Energy, The City of Charlotte, Centralina Regional Council, and the UNC Charlotte EPIC center. 

It is essential to support EV infrastructure to be ready when electric vehicles will become more affordable and accessible. Installing an EV charging station outside of the Ritz at Washington Heights Park gives locals access to charging that lack off-street parking availability for at home charging. 

The nomination period for the Centralina Region of Excellence Awards is here! The awards are opportunities to recognize and celebrate how local governments and partners expand opportunity and improve quality of life across our region. As partner organizations in the Centralina region, we encourage you to submit nominations for project, programs, or plans that were initiated or completed during the past calendar year. 

ARRIVAL is a revolutionary European technology company who produces electric buses and vans. They are opening their first US headquarters and van factory at the beginning of 2022 in Charlotte, NC. Nearby they are also opening a bus factory in Rock Hill, SC. These vehicles are not like your average vans and buses. They are built modularly from the ground up in micro factories using a smart robotic assembly of composite materials that are designed to be circular within a repair, reuse, and recycle model.  

The build consists of an adjustable skateboard platform design that can be customized for all vehicle sizes and a fully recyclable composite material developed in-house that decreases the weight of the vehicles while enhancing the durability of these crash resistant panels. There is no use of paint shops, which is great for the vehicles and the environment, because the paint is embedded into the material. Micro factories allow what typically takes years to construct to be done in 6 months or less, all while sourcing from the local area and developing for the region they are within. The efficiency of a micro factory enables ARRIVAL to continue to grow as demand grows, while the localization of the supply chain reduces the environmental impact. These factors combined regarding material usage, robotic assembly, and micro factory implementation allow for a smaller carbon footprint, easier repair job, lower cost of total ownership, and rapid worldwide deployment.  

In North America, ARRIVAL uses SAE J1772 plug types for AC charging and CCS1 plug types for DC charging. The vans are compatible with AC and DC charging as they are equipped with an 11kW AC onboard charger and can DC fast charge up to 120kW. This enables the vehicle to be charged anywhere from a lower power AC outlet at home to a designated DC charger. 

The use of digital products permits ARRIVAL vehicles to connect to the world with commercial operators and advanced telematics to help analyze vehicle data, track fleet routes, and respond to alerts in real time. They have been working with small business owners and essentially anyone who can use a van.

ARRIVAL combines sustainability, efficiency, and affordability through pricing their vehicles competitively with fossil fuel equivalents which will lead to an expected lower cost of ownership. There will be more information regarding specific price points released soon. 

Four Different Vehicles to Reach the Market by 2023: 

1.) Bus  

• Year- 2021 
• Range- 149-249 miles 
• Payload- 80-125 passengers 

2.) Van 

• Year- 2022 
• Range- 93-211 miles 
• Payload- 2,150-4,409lbs 

3.) Large Van 

• Year- 2022 
• Range- 118-249 miles 
• Payload- 8,818lbs 

4.) Small Vehicle 

• Year- 2023 
• Range- 62-186 miles 
• Payload- 992-1,764lbs

The Town of Marshville, in partnership with the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition (CCFC), unveiled a new electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging station to the public on Monday, 11/15.

 “This is an exciting time for Marshville, which is on the cusp of growth and development with the recent completion of the Monroe Bypass and increased interest from commercial and residential developers,” said Frank Deese, Town Manager of Marshville. “We greatly appreciate the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition for assisting us with the grant process and helping make the EV charger a reality. Marshville is truly the diamond of Union County and with the EV charger, we are one step closer to establishing ourselves as a key destination in Union County.”

Made by ChargePoint, the EV charger is located at 119 N. Elm Street in Marshville. The cost to use the charger is $0.14 per KWH with one hour of free parking for the first hour and $1 per hour for parking after the first hour. The charger is free for Town of Marshville employees to use for Town vehicles.

In addition, the Town’s EV police vehicle-a modified Tesla 3, was on hand for folks to see. It was purchased in anticipation of the fast charger being installed.  

“Our mission is to reduce petroleum dependence, improve air quality and expand alternative fuel use and technology, so we were excited for the opportunity to assist the Town of Marshville in applying for and receiving a grant to install a charging station for their downtown area,” said Carina Soriano, MPA, regional planner and co-coordinator with CCFC. “Not only are we helping improve transportation energy efficiency in Marshville, but are playing a role in helping with the Town’s economic development goal.”

The Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition – which is housed at Centralina Regional Council – helped the Town of Marshville with a grant application for NC VW Settlement funds that were received for an EV DC Fast charger. According to the North Carolina Volkswagen Settlement, Governor Roy Cooper has designated the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to manage North Carolina’s share of the VW Settlement, an agreement between the German automaker and the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A Zero Emission Vehicle infrastructure program is one of the five programs that can receive VW Settlement funds.

This past Saturday, November 6th 2021, The Ritz  at Washington Heights held its ribbon-cutting ceremony and officially opened. The Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition, along with representatives from UNC-Charlotte, the City of Charlotte and Duke Energy, proudly attended the ceremony and joined the celebration. The park site was historically occupied by the Ritz Theater, a segregation-era Black theater that the park is named for in an effort to honor the community’s history. The project of opening this park where the former Ritz Theater sat vacant was chosen from more than 2,000 entries to the Lowe’s 100 Hometowns Grant. Lowe’s awarded millions of dollars to 100 unique community projects across the U.S in celebration of the company’s 100th anniversary. The Ritz project received $200,000 from Lowe’s to complete the park, along with a $25,000 contribution from the Washington Heights Neighborhood Association and a $50,000 contribution from the City of Charlotte’s Corridors of Opportunity program.  

The park is located at 1201 Beatties Ford Road, and this also marks the spot where a PoleVolt curbside electric vehicle charging station will be constructed in the coming months. The PoleVolt charger is part of a US Department of Energy (DOE) pilot effort to explore the challenges and opportunities for introducing curbside electric vehicle charging infrastructure into communities nationwide. As electric vehicle ownership becomes more accessible, charging solutions for electric vehicle owners who do not have access to in-home charging infrastructure are becoming increasingly vital. The product of a three-year partnership between the UNC-Charlotte Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC), the City of Charlotte, Duke Energy, and the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition; PoleVolt represents both technological innovation and the increasing importance of energy equity within the electric vehicle charging market.  

EPIC and Duke Energy began developing the PoleVolt charger prototypes in 2019. The chargers will be powered by existing Duke Energy light poles and include retractable charging cables and dynamic lighting features to indicate charging status. The project team hopes PoleVolt may serve as a scalable solution for curbside charging efforts in Charlotte and beyond. The multi-year effort to execute the pilot program has yielded valuable insights about curbside charging regulations and requirements for communities nationwide. These learnings will be released in the next year in a project report to US DOE by EPIC and the Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition. The project team is also grateful to have partnered with the Ritz project to introduce curbside charging infrastructure to the Beatties Ford Corridor and surrounding community. The area provides not only a creative, culturally significant space for community events but is also a sign of the progression towards broadening alternative fuel access within the City of Charlotte. 

The wheels are in motion for the greater Charlotte region to implement a comprehensive transportation system. On October 13th, Centralina Regional Council’s (Centralina) Board of Delegates approved the CONNECT Beyond regional mobility plan.  Mecklenburg County Commissioner Leigh Altman joined the Centralina board meeting to represent the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC), the policy board for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). The MTC officially voted to endorse the CONNECT Beyond plan during its meeting on October 27th.

Centralina and the MTC are the project sponsors of this initiative, a first-of-its kind plan that serves as the blueprint for how to implement a robust, interconnected transportation network combining high-capacity transit lines, enhanced bus service and other innovative mobility solutions. The CONNECT Beyond regional mobility plan covers a diverse area, crossing the dashed lines that split the Charlotte region and includes 12 counties, two states, four Metropolitan Planning Organizations, one Rural Planning Organization and two state Departments of Transportation.

The plan provides the framework that will encourage economic growth, connected communities and equitable opportunities. Many transit options are currently focused on localized areas that leave gaps in transit on a regional level and the CONNECT Beyond recommendations will close these gaps and improve access by creating a total mobility network. “Over the past two decades, our region has experienced unprecedented growth and remained resilient through turbulent cycles. Access to safe, reliable, affordable and well-connected public transportation is critical so that everyone can benefit from this economic prosperity,” said Geraldine Gardner, Executive Director of Centralina. 

The Path to CONNECT Beyond

Prior to launching CONNECT Beyond, Centralina led a two-year community engagement process to understand our region’s greatest transportation challenges and opportunities, engaging elected officials, planners, medical and educational institutions, transportation agencies, economic developers, employers and workforce leaders. The goal was to discover what mobility needs and transit-focused outcomes could be enhanced through regional coordination and what local interests could be addressed through improved transit mobility. The insights we gathered from this diverse set of perspectives and range of communities resulted in our understanding of mobility needs at the regional and individual community levels, allowing us to move forward with the next phase – defining the transit vision and developing an implementation plan.

Plan Development

Plan development was a stakeholder-driven process built on the work of existing transit and transportation plans across the study area. Centralina, the MTC and their regional partners gathered feedback from the community through surveys and listening sessions. The project team looked at best practices locally and across the country to find a way to seamlessly integrate dozens of different public transit systems to not only help residents get where they need to go, but also to ensure that our region remains economically competitive as we plan for an expected addition of 1.4 million people by 2045.

“The greater Charlotte area is a combination of diverse communities, each with unique needs and challenges, and the CONNECT Beyond plan honors those local needs while providing a bold and unified vision for our region that we can all rally behind,” said Jason Wager, Centralina Assistant Regional Planning Director, Clean Cities Coordinator, and CONNECT Beyond Project Manager. “This work will enliven downtowns, support the ability to connect people to jobs and transit systems across county lines, all while integrating the latest vehicle and mobility technologies into our local network.” The plan balances short-term and long-term tactics, offering solutions that can be implemented today in addition to bigger investments that will be made over time. The approach requires the work of local government planning and funding in addition to coordinated regional actions.

“Our region is poised for tremendous growth and opportunity in the coming years. We must have the vision and commitment to prepare for those changes in a way that ensures a great quality of life, a cleaner environment, and access to opportunity for all,” stated Commissioner Altman. A robust and connected transit system will make our region more attractive to relocating companies and will provide equitable opportunities for residents, allowing increased access to education, jobs, housing, healthcare and healthy food options. Plan recommendations were developed with the urban and rural end user in mind and incorporate public and private transit options including bus rapid transit, vanpools, mobility hubs, ridesharing and bike-sharing and more.

Plan Recommendations

CONNECT Beyond includes more than 150 recommendations that fit into the following five categories, known as Mobility Moves:

• Creating Mobility-Friendly Spaces: strategies to support vibrant, pedestrian-friendly communities that have convenient access to public transit and prepare communities for future transit investment.
• Expanding Mobility Choices: addresses how to support the how, when and where residents and visitors can travel, now and into the future.
• Strengthening Rural to Urban Connections: improving mobility and transportation choices for those living or working in rural communities, allowing better integration between our towns and shortening the time to travel between them.
• Building a Better Bus Network: implementing strategies to integrate existing bus systems and enhance coordination between transit service providers across our region, ultimately making it easier for riders to plan, pay for and complete their trips.
• Investing in Strategic Mobility Corridors: identifying and investing in corridors throughout the region where high-capacity transit lines, commuter rail and emerging mobility services could possibly be extended or newly constructed. 

Mobility Moves are supported by key components such as livable centers and mobility hubs, places of connectivity where different travel options come together. These hubs can be thought of as all-in-one centers for bus boarding, rideshare designated pick-up locations, charging and docking stations for bikes, scooters and other private transport options and locations to comfortably wait in between trips.

“Time is our most incredible asset that each and every one of us have. And augmenting times becomes a determining factor in which mode of transportation we will choose as we are moving throughout the region,” said John Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of CATS. “This is an issue of competitiveness. Being able to give individuals back the most amount of time in their commute and allows them more time pursuing business ventures, spending time with family and enhancing quality of life. And much of that is tied to our transportation system and our ability to connect.”

What’s Next

The next steps will entail Centralina and MTC working with transportation planning organizations, counties and municipalities within the project area to educate residents, facilitate cross-county coordination and secure resources to support early implementation priorities. These activities will broaden project partnership opportunities and help local governments customize mobility plan implementation for their communities.

“We are excited to begin rolling out the plan and working with local entities in the region to customize implementation and ensure mobility solutions for everyone. CONNECT Beyond is our north star in meeting the needs of our growing region.” – Geraldine Gardner

For more information about the CONNECT Beyond mobility project and plan visit: https://centralina.org/regional-collaboration/regional-transit/

www.connect-beyond.com/plan