Electric vehicle charging station network expands in Festus

Ameren Missouri’s Charge Ahead program has enabled the installation — and operation — of another electric vehicle charging station. The new, fast-charging electric vehicle station is up and running at Schnucks in Festus, Missouri.

“[The charging stations] give consumers a place to recharge their car similar to filling up at a gas pump, only there are currently fewer charging stations right now,” said Dan Govero, of Govero Land Services and president of the Jefferson County Growth Association.

Ameren Missouri’s Charge Ahead program aims to eliminate the barriers for electric car charging and promote the use of more efficient and cleaner cars and trucks on Missouri roads through the development of fast-charging stations. The program has aided in adding several fast-charging stations, such as in Moberly, Canton, Bowling Green, Warrenton, and St. Louis. Five more are planned to be completed in 2020.

Those looking to hit the road in an electric vehicle will often start by 'filling-up' at home the night before. Once on the road, EV charging stations are usually located at hotels, grocery stores, gas stations or banks. 

The average range between fills ups is between 150 to 300 miles. Govero said: “I think the charging station will draw in people who couldn’t come here before because there was no place to charge their vehicle. I think it will increase the amount of traffic coming up.”

Todd Tracy, executive director of the Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation, added that it could also open up opportunities for dealers to put electric vehicles on their lots — which they are hesitant to do, due to the lack of charging stations. Building infrastructure for electric vehicles is critical for consumers in an expanding field.

“Our numbers in Missouri show that right now on average there are about 3,000 electric vehicles that have been registered for private use. We know that is probably going to go up to over half a million in the next ten years,” Tracy noted. “We expect that to grow exponentially.”

As the demand for electric vehicles grows, Ameren Missouri’s Charge Ahead program is helping build the transportation infrastructure to meet the need.