Waynesville Installs Six Free Level 2 EV Chargers
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- Waynesville installed six new Level 2 EV chargers at its Recreation Park tennis courts that offer free charging to the public.
- William Hite, the town’s environmental sustainability chairman, donated the chargers (cost $700 each) and said they support Waynesville’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
- Waynesville spent about $23,000 on installation and will receive a $6,900 federal tax credit, bringing the net cost under $20,000.
- Chuck Dickson, a council member, noted that transportation is the biggest polluter in Western North Carolina and that about 95% of EV adopters never revert to gasoline.
- Level 2 chargers provide roughly 30‑40 miles of driving range per hour of charge, helping reduce range anxiety for visitors to the recreation center.
- EV owners can combine activities such as tennis, swimming, or picnics with free charging at the site, reinforcing the town’s environmental and cost‑reduction messaging.
Why it matters: Residents and visitors gain free, convenient charging that lowers travel costs and supports Waynesville’s carbon‑neutral goal, while the town saves under $20,000 thanks to a federal tax credit, demonstrating a low‑cost model for municipal EV infrastructure. It also signals to other small towns that EV charging can be deployed affordably, potentially accelerating regional adoption of electric vehicles.
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