Leah Thill gets access to charge Wednesday in Mishawaka. Because Mishawaka is attracting more residents and visitors to its downtown area, it made sense to install a charging station there. Staff photo by Michael Caterina
Motorists with plug-in hybrids or electric vehicles are now able to recharge in downtown Mishawaka or at the Goshen Library, thanks to an Indiana grant that was made possible as the result of settlement money resulting from the 2016 Volkswagen emissions scandal.
But the new two-car charging stations won’t be the last to come on line. In all, the Michiana area received $99,000 to install 11 stations that should become operational before the end of the year.
The Michiana Area Council of Governments or MACOG worked with local government agencies to identify locations where two-car Level 2 chargers – capable of providing 25 miles of range per hour – could help fill spots where publicly-accessible chargers were needed.
Because Mishawaka is attracting more residents and visitors to its downtown area, for example, it made sense to install a station in the public parking lot at West Front and North Mill streets near Ironworks Plaza, said Leah Thill, senior environmental planner for MACOG.
While the Level 2 units in downtown Mishawaka and at the Goshen Library are the first to become operational, nine more will be installed before the end of the year, including units in the visitor parking lots at the Potawatomi Zoo and at Indiana University South Bend.
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