Empire District and Wildcat Glades partner to offer electric vehicle charging stations
JOPLIN, Mo. — Empire District announced last week the availability of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at the Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center. The media and members of the public were invited to a plug-in event on Aug. 4 to showcase the new charger. Electric vehicles from Empire’s fleet were also available.
Though not in the Eagle Observer coverage area, the event foreshadows a growing trend toward the use of electric-powered vehicles which will undoubtedly soon affect western Benton County. Numerous plug-in stations are already available in Bentonville, Springdale and Fayetteville and will likely come to western Benton County in time.
The Missouri charging station above was installed as part of Empire’s new electric vehicle incentive program. EVOLVe is an initiative to encourage broader adoption of clean, efficient electric vehicles. The initiative includes rebate incentives, educational outreach and increased availability of EV charging stations within the Empire District Electric Company service area.
“As responsible stewards of the environment, embracing the concept of electric vehicles makes sense both environmentally and economically,” explains Brent Baker, vice president of customer experience at Empire. “We are excited to partner with Wildcat Glades in offering EV charging for their visitors.”
The charging station at the Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center is part of the Charge-Point EV charging network. Charge-Point operates the world’s largest and most open EV network. For more information, or to download the free mobile app, visit www.chargepoint.com. To learn more about the EVOLVe program, visit www.evolvewithempire.com.
About Empire District
Based in Joplin, the Empire District Electric Company is a subsidiary of Liberty Utilities Co. and headquarters for the Liberty Utilities Central Region, providing electric, natural gas, water and wastewater service to nearly 340,000 customers across seven states. A subsidiary of the company provides fiber optic services. For more information regarding Empire, visit www.empiredistrict.com. For more information about Liberty Utilities, visit www.libertyutilities.com.