Kansas City to Get 1,000 EV Charging Sites this Year

Mon, 2/26/2018 - 11:27 pm by Kirsten Rincon

Ever since electric cars first hit the market in the U.S., West Coast states have been leading the way in the adoption of these alternative fuel vehicles, which is why they have the largest concentration of EV charging stations, with the rest of the country lagging far behind. But lately, EVs have been getting more traction across the country, prompting local authorities and utility companies in other regions of the U.S. to invest in charging infrastructure for them. The latest news coming from Kansas City, about a project that aims to build an extensive network of charging stations in the most populous city in Missouri, shows that the Midwest is jumping on the EV bandwagon, as well.

Kansas City Power and Light (KCP&L), an electric utility company that serves the Kansas City metropolitan area, has announced that it plans to install over 1,000 charging sites in the greater Kansas City area over the course of this year, which according to the company itself, will be the biggest venture of its kind by an electric utility in the U.S. The network will include 1,000 charging stations that will support both CHAdeMO and the CSS standards, and will offer free charging for all EV owners in the first 2 years after the installation. This means that the stations will be compatible with all electric vehicles currently on the market.

Most of the stations will be built by ChargePoint, the company that operates the world’s largest network of EV charging stations, with the exception of 15 fast-charging stations that will be provided by Nissan. “This network of stations will be capable of supporting more than 10,000 electric vehicles. Through partnerships with companies at host locations and with Nissan Motor Company, the Clean Charge Network will offer free charging on every station to all drivers for the first two years. The stations are manufactured by ChargePoint and will be part of the ChargePoint network of more than 20,000 charging spots in North America,” the company said in a press release.

Drivers will be able to use the Clean Charging Network 24/7, and will need a ChargePoint membership in order to access it, which will also give them access to every other ChargePoint station across the country. ChargePoint’s mobile app will provide drivers with real-time information on availability of each of the stations, as well as their location.

This is not the first time Kansas City Power and Light is investing in EV infrastructure. Back in 2011, the company installed 10 EV charging stations, in an attempt to get an insight into the charging habits of EV owners. KCP&L said that with this project, it hopes to accelerate EV adoption in the Kansas City metropolitan area and encourage more efficient use of the electrical grid.