20 electric vehicle fast-charging stations coming to Bradenton area under new program
Nick Howe, state president of Tesla Owners of Florida, says electric vehicle technology and the availability of chargers have come a long way since he bought his first Tesla in 2012.
When Hurricane Irma approached in 2017, Howe and his wife evacuated from their home in Boca Raton to Atlanta. During the trip, he had an easier time finding chargers than his wife did finding a filling station for her Lexus.
“Now we are an all-electric family,” he said.
There are now 106,975 electric cars registered in Florida, with more than half, 63,038, being Teslas, he said.
“Tesla led the field with building their own charging network. Now the utilities are getting on it as they should,” Howe said.
The total number of electric vehicles registered in the U.S. has grown from fewer than 300,000 in 2016 to more than 1.1 million in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.
In recognition of that growth, Florida Power & Light this week announced its EVolution program — a charging network of a series of fast-charging stations capable of powering up most batteries — including Teslas with an adaptor — in about 30 minutes.
At least 20 fast-charging stations are being installed in the Bradenton area and Manatee County as part of that program, including:
▪ Four fast-charge points at Bealls Headquarters, 700 13th Ave. E., and Bealls Distribution Center, 1806 38th Ave. E.
▪ Six fast chargers have been installed at Legacy Hotel at IMG Academy, 5450 Bollettieri Blvd.
▪ Six fast-charge points at the city of Holmes Beach, 5801 Marina Drive
▪ Four fast-charge points at ITW GSE Americas, 11001 U.S. Highway 41, North Palmetto.
The chargers at Bealls and Legacy Hotel are already in service, and the others in Holmes Beach and Ellenton are still under construction.
By some estimates, electric vehicle costs will reach price parity with gasoline-fueled passenger vehicles by 2025, and by 2030 one in four cars sold will be electric.
“However, a lack of adequate infrastructure will result in barriers to the driver’s full use of their EVs,” warns a report released in December by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Central Florida Clean Cities Coalition.
The report also noted that the vast majority of electric car owners charge their vehicles primarily at home, and that most of those owners rated the availability of public charging facilities as bad.
That said, it’s easy to charge your car at home, and it is an advantage electric cars have over gas-engine cars.
“Nobody has a gas station at home,” Howe said.
The number of electric vehicles nationally and on Manatee County roads has been growing for years, as have the availability of charging points, As recently as 2011, when charging stations appeared outside Bradenton City Hall, the Bishop Museum, Manatee Memorial Hospital, it seemed like a huge leap into the future.
FPL’s new fast-charging stations are located approximately every 50 miles along an 800-mile stretch of Florida’s major highways and corridors
“The program is designed to bolster range confidence and encourage EV adoption by installing more than 1,000 electric vehicle charging ports throughout Florida. The initiative will increase availability of universal charging ports by 50%,” FPL announced.
Finding a charge point is getting easier, too, thanks to a proliferation of apps that are now available.
Drivers can also visit https://www.fpl.com/energy-my-way/evolution.html or download the FPL EVolution app for free. The app will route drivers to charging locations and help them find nearby amenities to enjoy while they power up.
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 12:52 PM.
