VALDOSTA – Lowndes County and Georgia Power are ushering in a new energy to Downtown Valdosta with the addition of electric vehicle charging stations in the judicial complex parking lot.

The stations are Level Two EV chargers, delivering an electrical current from an outlet or hardwired unit to the vehicle via the connector, similar to a standard-issue charger.

According to Joe Brownlee, regional director of Georgia Power, EVs help with area tourism thanks to their fast charge and affordability.

“One of the things that makes this so important is that on fast charging, you get 100 miles in about 12 minutes. So whether you’re traveling east or west north or south on I-75, this is the place where you can charge for another 100 miles. We’re working to prepare our communities all across the state because as more people continue to switch to EVs, it’ll become more affordable for the average person. We’ll tell you that South Georgia is fixing to explode and have no shortage of stations,” he said.

“The fast charge vehicles are extremely low cost when compared to rising medical costs and gasoline. A Level Two battery-powered vehicle can charge for $1 an hour and 10 cents a minute for every minute after that. It supports tourism. People stop here and shop in Downtown Valdosta; they can charge here then eat at a restaurant. This spot highlights our historic buildings. and I think the thing that makes this so special is you see how the city and the county drove this.”

Lowndes County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter expressed similar sentiments in his own remarks, stating that the EV charging stations are one piece of the puzzle in the county’s and city’s plans to further develop downtown.

“Lowndes County has committed to improving and doing our part. The city certainly is doing everything they can with the Downtown Development Authority and Unity Park. Turner Center for the Arts is doing a fantastic job. I mean, just give us a couple of years, and downtown is going to be a super location. It’s going … to give folks that’s out at the interstate something to visit. They’re going to say ‘Hey, I’m going to come to Downtown Valdosta rather than just pull off and get a quick sandwich. Let’s go downtown Valdosta and see what’s down there and see what they’ve got to offer.’ This is a part of that,” he said.

Paige Dukes, county manager, said downtown revitalization efforts would not be possible without officials passion for the community.

“You know, right now the county has invested $14 million in downtown and that’s in addition to the $23 million investment that’s behind me that was done 15 years prior to that as far as the planning goes. So how do we continue to maximize the efforts of Main Street in the City of Valdosta? We need our entire community to develop our downtown,” she said.

“The one thing about this (project) that stuck with me was if you need to charge your vehicle, there’s a map that shows locations where you can go, and that’s really what I stuck on was how do we pull people off of I-75 off or Highway 84 and into our downtown to see all the things that are going on? You know, we might slow these (chargers) down a little so that they at least have to stay for lunch so that we can get them out of their cars. and get them walking. That really was the purpose. But it’s also about a passion for service back to the commission’s investment. They have a passion for service because of that investment. and then it got to my level, and we got here, and it’s because I have a passion for service and a heart for this community. But to love this county is not enough. We have to be strategic in our decisions and our leadership and this is certainly a part of that.”

Ed Harmon, electric transportation program manager for Georgia Power, said the state has approximately 3,600 EV stations and that number will grow “exponentially” in coming months.