Santa Nella selected for electric vehicle charging station

Travelers driving electric vehicles along Interstate 5 in Santa Nella may soon have another place to stop for a charge-up.

Recargo, an energy service company, announced in a news release Tuesday that it is looking for a location in Santa Nella to install an electric vehicle charging station.

The company identified Santa Nella as a strategic location on the I-5 corridor.

“That makes the Santa Nella area indispensable,” said Tony Rice, host acquisition manager. “So right now we’re actively looking for a business with a parking lot large enough to host at least four chargers, ideally within a mile of I-5.”

The Santa Nella charging complex is expected to be part of the company’s “Electric Highway” project, along with 32 other locations in the state.

Businesses in Santa Nella with parking lot space are being asked to contact Recargo to host the charging complex.

According to the release, the site host could receive a long-term payment package, including a signing bonus, adding up to tens of thousands of dollars over the license term.

The charging complex is expected to be constructed by early 2018, and could provide as many as 12 chargers.

More than 230,000 plug-in electric vehicles are estimated to have been sold in California, representing more than half of all PEV sales nationwide, according to the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative.

Currently, Santa Nella has one public charging station at the Los Banos KOA, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center.

Tax dollars generated by the site would go to Merced County. But the charging complex could also bring more people to businesses in Santa Nella, Recargo Chief Strategy Officer Norman Hajjar said.

“It’s a great thing for (local) business,” Hajjar said. “People stop by when they need to charge.”

Santa Nella County Water District General Manager Amy Montgomery said tourists and others traveling along I-5 have been major contributors to businesses in the area.

“Santa Nella wouldn’t be here without the I-5 corridor,” Montgomery said.

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Santa Nella selected for electric vehicle charging station."