City juices up Courthouse Square | Electric vehicle charging stations will be free to use

TEXARKANA, Texas - A pair of charging stations recently installed as part of the downtown Courthouse Square renovation project puts Texarkana on the map for drivers of electric vehicles. The devices on the Olive Street side of the square are the only charging stations publicly available in either Texarkana that are compatible with various models of electric vehicles, or EVs. Officials hope they will draw visits from travelers who will take advantage of what downtown has to offer as their cars charge up. Electricity from the chargers will be free, though the city has the ability to begin requiring payment, Interim City Manager David Orr said. Southwest Electric Power Co. affiliate HomeServe paid contractors to install the chargers, while the city paid for the equipment itself, said Jennifer Harland, SWEPCO's external affairs manager in Texarkana. The idea was not part of the courthouse project's original plan. It arose in a "strategic doing" group focused on the project that both Orr and Harland participate in. "Jennifer presented it to the group, and everyone agreed it would be a good thing, mainly from the standpoint of trying to attract visitors and tourists with an opportunity to charge their their car and then eat lunch and stay a little while in Texarkana," Orr said. As more public charging stations become available, EVs are an increasingly accessible option for drivers concerned about climate change who prefer zero-emission cars. Another appeal is high-tech features such as near-autonomous cruise control that automatically adjusts to traffic conditions. SWEPCO is participating in the trend as part of an initiative called the Electric Highway Coalition, a group of 14 power companies whose goal is to enable long distance all-electric travel by adding fast charging stations along U.S. highway routes. "If you could envision a Buc-ee's (roadside convenience store) for charging vehicles, it's just going to really enhance and grow the opportunity for people to think about, 'You know what, I think I can do this because now there are charging stations,' and you don't have the fear of running out of juice before you reach your destination," Harland said. Both established major automakers and innovative startups now offer EVs, with some models in the same price range as traditional gas-powered cars. Chevrolet's Bolt EV models can travel more than 250 miles on a full charge costing about $7, said Mike Anderson with local dealership Orr Chevrolet. Chevrolet includes home charging equipment installation as part of Bolt sales, and the chargers for 2022 models can provide enough power every 30 minutes for 100 miles of driving. Bolt prices start at about $31,000 and range to just under $40,000, he said. "They (EVs) are just becoming a viable option. And you have to understand that for whatever reason, there's a huge push towards this. Things are going at some point to go that way," Anderson said. Tesla Inc., whose CEO is celebrated billionaire Elon Musk, has eight chargers available for its EVs in the parking lot of Olive Garden restaurant off Interstate 30 on the Texas side. On Wednesday, Sariq Hamid of Plano, Texas, charged his Tesla sedan there after a GPS navigation device in the car directed him to the chargers as he drove on I-30. He and his traveling companion had made full use of the stop, he said, eating lunch at Raising Cane's restaurant.