March 28, 2024

1st SMECO EV Charging Station Opens

Charging Station

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative opened its first EV Recharge public charging station for electric vehicles. The station is at the St. Mary’s County Public Library and Garvey Activity Senior Center at 23630 Hayden Farm Lane in Leonardtown and has 24-hour access.

A video of the virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony can be seen on the St. Mary’s County Government Channel 95 on the St. Mary’s County cable system, on YouTube, or on SMECO’s website.

A second charging station site in Leonardtown is located on Park Avenue between Guyther Drive and Court House Drive. SMECO has broken ground in Charles County for a charger to be installed at Laurel Springs Regional Park in La Plata, and the cooperative is working with Calvert and Prince George’s counties to designate suitable locations for new charging stations, as well.

Up to 60 SMECO EV Recharge charging stations will be installed over the next four years as part of a pilot program authorized by the Public Service Commission. The SMECO EV Recharge installations will include Level 2 chargers and DC-powered fast chargers (DCFC) available for public use.

EV owners can use the Greenlots Mobile App to find the nearest station, start and end charging, make payments, and receive real-time notifications. SMECO’s EV Recharge stations will serve the growing population of electric vehicle owners who are transitioning away from gas-powered vehicles. The Level 2 chargers will cost 18 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and the DCFC will cost 34 cents per kWh. SMECO’s EV Recharge rates are based on average costs for other charging stations and are subject to change.

For introductory information about electric vehicles and factors to consider before purchasing an EV, visit SMECO’s website at smeco.coop/EVintro. For more detailed information about battery and hybrid EV models, driving range, battery capacity, cost savings, charging stations, and more, go to smeco.coop/chooseEV.

Pictured above: SMECO personnel, from left, Jeff Shaw, vice president of distributed energy and sustainability; Sonja Cox,  SMECO president and CEO; and Mike Hyland, manager of energy, technology programs, and distributed energy resources. 

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative is a customer-owned electric cooperative providing electricity to more than 150,000 services in southern Prince George’s County, Charles County, St. Mary’s County, and Calvert County.

To learn more about SMECO, visit their Leader member page. Visit SMECO on their Facebook Page and Twitter.

Leave A Comment