Recently, Jason Wager (Planning Director at Centralina Regional Council) and Megan Upchurch (Director at Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition) were interviewed alongside Chris Davis (Operations Supervisor and Fleet Manager at Charlotte Department of Transportation) by the North Carolina Benchmarking Project of the UNC School of Government about last yearâs successful Electric Vehicle Ride and Drive event.
For this event, Centralina partnered with the City of Charlotte and brought together manufacturers, employees, regional partners, and other municipalities to share ideas and learn from one another on the topic of electric vehicles. Through networking at this event, many ongoing relationships were developed, and vendors got a better idea of the increasing interest in electric vehicles. Below is the full interview which details the event setup, benefits, and lessons for other fleet maintenance managers who seek to host a similar event.
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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
Join Bob MacLeod on a virtual tour of MacLeod Construction as he explains how they utilize compressed natural gas to power part of their construction fleet and ensure project sites receive concrete in a more environmentally friendly way.  The MacLeod fleet contains 35 vehicles, including 15 CNG cement trucks. They are in the process of purchasing more CNG vehicles to expand their fleet.Â
Hear from regional experts including Norm Scott of Nuovo Energy and Ben Kessler, former Coordinator for Palmetto Clean Fuels Coalition as they outline the benefits of CNG for fleets. Learn more about MacLeod Construction and how compressed natural gas can benefit your fleet in the MacLeod Construction Alternative Fuel Fleet Success Video.Â
CLIENT: MacLeod Construction
WEBSITE: https://www.macleodnc.com/
PROJECT COMPLETION:Â Ongoing
ALT FUEL UTILIZED: Â CNG
Bob MacLeod, MacLeod Construction; Heather Scott, Nuovo Energy; Norm Scott, Nuovo Energy; and Matt Abele, Capital City Creative for making this success story happen!
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.
 âThis 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,â said Frank Deese, Town Manager of Marshville. âWe 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.â
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. Â
âOur 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,â said Carina Soriano, MPA, regional planner and co-coordinator with CCFC. âNot only are we helping improve transportation energy efficiency in Marshville, but are playing a role in helping with the Townâs economic development goal.â
The Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition â which is housed at Centralina Regional Council â 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 Carolinaâs 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.
Join Lisa McAbee on a virtual tour of McAbee Trucking as she explains how they utilize propane vehicles to power their fleet and ensure deliveries arrive on time. McAbee Trucking completes over 38 trips overnight from Charlotte, NC to Greenville, SC, and local runs within Blacksburg, SC.  The McAbee Trucking fleet contains 46 vehicles, including two compressed natural gas trucks and six propane trucks. They are in the process of converting more of their diesel box trucks into propane and their semis’ into CNG. McAbee Trucking Inc. was part of a demo with the ROUSH CleanTech Propane Autogas to experiment how these would fit with a USPS contracting fleet. Â
Hear from experts all over the region including, Steve Whaley, Director of Autogas Business development at PERC, Derek Whaley, Business Development Manager at ROUSH CLEANTech, and Mitch Rose, Branch Manager of Blossman Gas as they outline the benefits of propane autogas for fleets. Learn more about McAbee Trucking Inc. and how propane autogas can benefit your fleet in the McAbee Trucking Alternative Fuel Fleet Success Video.Â
CLIENT: McAbee Trucking
WEBSITE: https://mcabeetrucking.com/
PROJECT COMPLETION:Â 2021
ALT FUEL UTILIZED: Propane & CNG
Steve Whaley, PERC; Derek Whaley, Roush CleanTech; Mitch Rose, Blossman Gas; Happy Fox, Alliance Autogas; Matt Abele, Capital City Creative and Mr. & Mrs. McAbee, McAbee Trucking for making this success story happen!
Event: Statesville DC Fast EV Charger
Project Completion:Â 2021
Notable Achievement:Â First DC Fast charger funded by NC VW Settlement installed/operational in the Centralina region