More Chatham County residents are using electric vehicles.  As a result, the county developed a new mapping tool in October to help residents quickly and accurately locate charging stations in the area. 

The county created the mapping tool to meet the needs of the increasing number of electric vehicle drivers. The tool aims to help electric vehicle drivers find public charging stations. 

It is often difficult for drivers of electric vehicles to locate the 10 public chargers in the county. Additional issues include broken chargers, inaccurate locations and outdated pricing.

Chatham County’s new web tool aims to deliver consistent and up-to-date information for electric vehicle drivers in the area. It is free for anyone to use.  The tool also allows users to filter which charging stations are free and the most powerful, as well as sort stations based on the type of connection they use. 

Karen Howard is the chair of Chatham County’s Board of Commissioners. In an interview with 97.9 The Hill, she said the tool is a step in preparing for big changes coming in the county. 

“Adding this tool is just another investment along the way,” Howard said. 

In March 2022, Chatham County was selected by electric automotive manufacturer VinFast to become the site of its first facility in the United States.

Howard said VinFast recognized Chatham County was an area that was already moving towards making driving elective vehicles easy. 

“This wasn’t a county where they were going to have to come in and teach us the benefits of electric vehicles,” Howard said. “We were already bought in.”

Howard added the county has been investing in charging stations and discussing their utility for a while.  She said the Chatham County government is conscious of vehicle emissions because many residents drive out of the county for work. 

“It’s not just that local residents can have access — which is wonderful,” Howard said. “But also, I think it’s a great lure for tourists. I think when people know they can drive to Pittsboro, come downtown, enjoy our amenities in and around Pittsboro and Siler City and charge their vehicles — that’s an incentive to stop.” 

VinFast looks to complete development in Chatham County by 2024 or 2025, and affordable electric vehicles in the community should be available not long after. 

 

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