Travelers Rest installs electric vehicle charging station

TRAVELERS REST, S.C. — Travelers Rest recently installed an electric vehicle charging station, the first of its kind in the city.

Funded in part through a DHEC grant administered by Ten at the Top, the charging station is located in the city parking lot beside My Sister's Store (on the corner of S. Poinsett Highway and State Park Road).

According to City Administrator Dianna Turner, the project was initiated through the efforts of Dan Powell, a local air quality advocate who passed away in November of last year. Powell, a 37-year-old non-moker, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in 2014, and he advocated for clean air projects up until the time of his passing. 

Turner said that if demand for the charging station was high enough, the city could pursue installation of a second station at Trailblazer Park.

"The objective is to encourage alternative transportation to improve air quality, but also to provide a charging location near downtown to encourage drivers of those vehicles to make stops in Travelers Rest and patronize our businesses," she said.

The city of Travelers Rest paid only for the station's installation, with the remaining costs paid for via the grant, Turner said.