Electric Vehicle Charging Station Located at Blount County Chamber of Commerce
4/18/2012
Maryville, Tenn. – The Blount Partnership, along with the Black Bear Solar Institute, are proud to announce the opening of two electric vehicle charging stations at the Blount County Chamber of Commerce located at 201 S. Washington St., in Maryville. The Partnership opened two stations in December at the Townsend Visitor’s Center.
With this newest addition, the Black Bear Solar Institute is now sponsoring and operating 24 electric vehicle charging stations in Blount County. Six are in Maryville and 18 in Townsend.
“We are very pleased to have these EV stations at our locations,” said Bryan Daniels, President/CEO of the Blount Partnership. “We feel we are offering an added service to those traveling through the area as well as being on the forefront of environmentally sound technology that’s available to the public.”
Townsend is the most EV friendly city on earth with 18 public charging stations sponsored and operated by Black Bear Solar Institute for a population of 545 people. One public charging station per 30 residents gives it the highest per-capita availability for EV charging in the world. Most are located along the bike and walking paths that extend the length of the city of Townsend. Six more Black Bear Solar Institute charging stations are located along the route through Blount County to Townsend.
According to an Associated Press article published April 15, Americans are buying record numbers of hybrid and electric cars as gas prices climb and new models arrive in showrooms, giving the vehicles their greatest share yet of the U.S. auto market.
Consumers bought a record 52,000 gas-electric hybrids and all-electric cars in March, up from 34,000 during the same month last year.
The two categories combined made up 3.64 percent of total U.S. sales, their highest monthly market share ever, according to Ward’s AutoInfoBank. Stronger sales of the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf were a positive sign for electric car makers.
More information about the Black Bear Solar Institute can be found on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BlackBearSolarInstitute
Black Bear Solar Institute Charging Station Locations –
5 at Trillium Cove Shopping Village in Townsend – the only shopping area in Blount County with EV charging.
5 at Laurel Valley Restaurant and Country Club in Townsend – the only golf course in Blount County and all of East Tennessee with EV charging.
2 at Townsend Visitor Center – located just a few feet from the bike and walking path that runs the length of Townsend.
2 at Talley Ho Inn in Townsend - the only overnight lodging in Blount County, Tennessee with EV charging installed. Talley Ho is also the only lodging near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park equipped to accommodate Electric Vehicles.
2 at Carriage House Restaurant in Townsend – additional EV charging adjacent to Talley Ho Inn.
2 at Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center and Museum in Townsend - EV Charging location nearest to any entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center and Museum.
2 at Cycology / Little River Trading Company in Maryville
2 at Maryville College’s Clayton Center for the Arts
2 at Blount Partnership / Chamber of Commerce in Maryville