From energy-saving programs to electric vehicles, being innovative involves much more than power generation.
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative hosts a Level 2 charging station in front of the Livingston Office. The charging station is operated and maintained by ChargePoint, an American electric vehicle infrastructure company that serves more than 114,000 charging stations throughout the world.
“We are considered a site host,” said Chad Simon, Sam Houston EC communications specialist and project leader. “If a user has a question or if there is ever a problem with the charging station, they just call the phone number on the station for assistance.”
The charging station is a dual-port charging station that is open to the public, not just Sam Houston EC consumer-members. Any electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid can utilize the station. Some EV owners may have to purchase an adapter, but they will be able to use the charging station.
“EV drivers will be able to find the charging station by doing an online search,” Simon said.
A Level 2 charger is considered a midlevel charging station. An all-electric vehicle such as a Tesla or Ford’s Mustang Mach-E, will take two to four hours to fully charge on Level 2 power. A plug-in hybrid like the Chrysler Pacifica minivan could take 30 minutes or less to recharge its smaller battery.
“We want Sam Houston to be our members’ trusted energy adviser and having the charging station is another important way to continually build trust with our members,” Simon said.
According to Simon, EVs are no longer something the Co-op must plan for; they’re here now. Ford has invested heavily in the EV market. The vehicle manufacturer has already rolled out the Mustang Mach-E and has recorded more than 100,000 preorder sales for the fully electric F-150 Lightning.
“It’s hard to know for sure, but the expectations are for 50% of all new and used car sales to be EVs by 2030–2035,” Simon said. “That isn’t far away. EVs could soon create a significant increased demand for power, whether people charge at home or at public charging stations like ours.”
