E-vehicle charging station debuts in Beaufort. It’s fueling a firestorm of opinion
Hundreds of residents are weighing in on a gesture by Beaufort County offering free fill-ups for electric vehicle owners at a new solar-powered charging station in Beaufort.
The county debuted the public charging station last Tuesday in its parking lot at its Robert Smalls Government Center at 100 Ribaut Road.
It didn’t take long for the solar-powered station to fuel a firestorm of public reaction.
The county’s Saturday Facebook announcement about the charging station had sparked more than 300 comments by Monday morning. Many asked if the county was going to start subsidizing gas bills next. Others questioned its limited charging capacity and the funding.
But the portable public e-charging station, which sits under a roof of solar panels, has its supporters, too. The county says it costs nothing to run except if a gasoline-powered generator is used.
“Driving off sunshine,” a sign at the station announces.
It is the only Beaufort County-owned public e-charging station and one of the only free public charging stations in northern Beaufort County, said Hannah Nichols, a spokesperson for Beaufort County.
It can charge up to 265 electric miles in a day, which is slower than a home charger.
The Beam Electric Vehicle ARC was purchased for $96,000 with federal American Rescue Plan Act money in 2023, said Nichols.
ARPA money was approved by Congress to help communities and businesses cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Beam says on its web site the unit is the only 100% renewable, transportable and off-grid EV charging option on the market.
Reasons for opposing it
Here’s a sampling of the Facebook comments questioning the charging station:
Gene Brancho: “Okay, tell me where I can go and get my free county-supplied gasoline please.”
Mike Hopkins: “Some county official can charge their car while at work. FOR FREE.”
Steven Wilson: “Taxpayers are paying for other people to fill up their vehicles.”
Duane Averette: “This has recent liberal blue city influx all over it. Free buses coming soon.”
David Cadd: Nothing is free. Taxpayers paid for this. ARPA is taxpayer-funded.
Reasons for supporting it
Others like the idea.
Maryanne Darby Payne: “Thank you President Biden for the American Rescue Act. It has helped a lot of communities across the country in different ways. The comments in this are so hateful. Beaufort County has a lot of tourists that come to vacation, also. It is a big source of income for the county. Some of them drive electric vehicles. It’s nice to have a charging station available. Kind of puts us in there with the current century!”
Mary Albanese: “Glad to see it. A solar-powered charger is such a nice gesture to the public.”
Tyman Tree Fiddy: “A lot of people crying that a few people can get $5 worth of electricity if they park all day. Calm down.”
EV owners weigh in
Those who own electric vehicles had this to say:
Jay NeyMat: “I own a Tesla. Fun fact almost every place you can charge the car free.”
Mary Albanese: “Tried it out today. Worked great. Now it will only take me 30 hours to ‘steal’ a full charge from the sun! Mwahahaha. FYI this is slower than the average home charger. Basically it’s for city employees or someone who wants to eat nearby.”
What Beaufort County says
The portable charging station was purchased to power the county’s 13 electric vehicles (not including Sheriff’s Office vehicles) and a mobile operations command center during emergencies, such as a hurricane, Nichols said. It can withstand winds of 160 mph and resist flooding up to 9.5 feet.
But the county has not had any emergency events in which the charging station was needed since it was purchased, Nichols said. So the county’s Fleet Services Office came up with the idea of allowing the public to use it for free. Its use will be monitored going forward to see what the demand is like, Nichols said.
“This charging station allows us to deliver reliable, renewable charging at no cost to our county residents,” Todd Davis, the county Fleet Services director, said in a statement. “I’m proud to be part of the County Fleet Services team that brought this project to fruition. It ensures that we are maximizing the value of this investment. This is the first county-owned charging station open to the public.”
