Two electric car charging stations are coming to Sparta’s farmer’s market.
Mayor Jeff Young said the location will encourage car owners to visit the downtown area while waiting for their vehicle to charge.
“Hopefully, it is close enough to the downtown and the square area that they will be able to go to one of our restaurants and find a bite to eat,” Young said. “There are walking trails in the city park right there adjacent to it also. They can take a walk while their cars charge and go about their way.”
Utility Manager Belva Bess said the equipment will be installed in the coming weeks once the concrete base is completed. Young said the installation cost would be covered by Seven States Power Company and Tennessee Tech through a grant program. After three years, the city would become responsible for the stations.
“Anyone with an electric vehicle, they join some type of app, and on their phone it will show them where to stop,” Bess said. “The charge is so much per hour. They just put there card in.”
Young and Bess met with a representative of Seven States Power Company to determine the best location by the bathrooms.
“We meet over there and spent probably an hour close to it over there,” Young said. “We walked all in that area trying to find what we felt like was the best fit and best location for that. I think we winded up in a good spot, which would basically be between the bathroom at the farmer’s market and the first column.”
Bess said if somebody leaves their vehicle overnight, an alert will be sent through the app to move the vehicle, or an extra fee will be charged.
Tech announced the research project in Fall 2019. The project is funded through a $779,823 U.S. Department of Energy grant. The purpose of the grant is to fill gaps of charging stations in rural Tennessee.
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