Two level-2 PEV charging stations each are now located at the City of Hartsville’s Fifth Street parking lot, City of Florence’s parking lot and Cheves Streets Hilton Garden Inn.
The 240-volt level-2 charging stations are said to charge a PEV three to five times faster than a typical outlet.
Progress Energy, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, is undertaking a research program to evaluate charging needs outside the home, impact on the grid and the costs associated with installing public-access charging stations.
The research will continue till April 2013, by when the utility plans to install 40 PEVs in the Carolinas.
The equipment will be owned and maintained by Progress during the period of research, after which it will be transferred to commercial customers.
The utility is also undertaking "Plugged In" residential research program, for which it has installed 150 charging stations at homes.
The commercial and residential research programs are partly funded through a smart grid grant from the US Department of Energy under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Duke Energy state president Clark Gillespy said, "This research project gives us insight into the electric system’s state of readiness to accommodate charging equipment, which will help us as we transform into the transportation fuel providers of the future."
