Electric vehicle owners driving between Amarillo and Lubbock now have a spot to top off between the two cities, as the first National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) opened in Happy this month.
Four charging stations opened at 300 N. Eastern Ave. in Happy, along Interstate-27. The site, owned and operated by Impower Connection is the first Texas location for NEVI. These were added to increase travel through rural areas and allow EV drivers to make the trip with little interruption, according to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.
“We are honored to have contributed to the development of this EV charging site in Happy and toward expanding connectivity in rural Texas,” said Bobby Kelley, vice president of operations and master electrician at Impower Connection.
The Terra 184 chargers were manufactured in South Carolina by ABB E-mobility and power 180 kilowatts per port, with integrated CCS and J3400 connectors. This should allow most electric vehicles to charge at these locations.
“With partners like Impower Connection and Lonestar Electric Supply, we are turning this vision into reality, empowering EV drivers in rural West Texas to charge and travel with confidence,” said Brandt Hastings, President of North America at ABB E-mobility.
The development of the site was a collaboration between BB E-mobility, Impower Connection and Lonestar Electric Supply.
“FHWA celebrates the opening of Texas’s first NEVI-funded charging station to help communities reliably and accessibly charge their EVs, across rural and urban Texas,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Kristin White. “Projects like this show how the U.S. is progressing towards our goal of 500,000 chargers by 2030.”