WILLIAMSPORT, Md., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Potomac
Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), has completed
the installation of four new electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging
stations in Frostburg and
Friendsville, expanding its
network of publicly available stations in Maryland.
Fast-charging stations, also known as direct-current fast
chargers (DCFC), can provide an 80% charge for most vehicles in
less than an hour, enabling drivers to recharge during the day or
on a break. The new stations are part of Potomac Edison's EV Driven
pilot program, a five-year Maryland Public Service
Commission-approved program designed to benefit the state's
environment by reducing auto emissions and supporting Maryland's goal to reach 300,000 zero-emission
vehicles on the road by 2025. Potomac Edison is installing 59
charging stations, including 20 fast-charging stations, across its
seven-county Maryland territory
over the course of the program, which runs through 2023.
"The new additions to our charging station network will further
support the adoption of electric vehicles in Maryland and align with our mission to build a
more sustainable future for the communities we serve," said
Linda Moss, president of
FirstEnergy's Maryland
operations.
Potomac Edison's new fast-charging stations in Frostburg are located behind the Frostburg
Library at 65 East Main Street, just minutes from Interstate 68 and
walkable to a variety of restaurants and shops in downtown
Frostburg.
The company's fast-charging stations in Friendsville are located less than a mile from
Interstate 68, at the Friendsville Veterans Memorial Park off
Maple Street, near the intersection
of Church Lane. Drivers stopping for a charge can walk to a variety
of cafes and restaurants in the town of Friendsville, visit the Veterans Memorial or
stretch their legs on the nearby Kendall
Trail along the Youghiogheny River. Potomac Edison also
installed a Level 2 charging station at the Friendsville location that can accommodate two
vehicles for simultaneous charging and deliver eight to 24
miles of range per hour of charging.
The installation of fast-charging stations near highways,
including the Frostburg and Friendsville stations, helps to meet
the National Electric Highway Coalition's (NEHC) goal to make EV
charging convenient for interstate drivers. The NEHC, which
FirstEnergy joined in 2021, is a collaboration among electric
companies committed to providing fast-charging stations that will
allow the public to drive EVs with confidence along major U.S.
travel corridors.
Potomac Edison installed its first fast-charging stations a year
ago at Joseph Hancock Primitive Park in Hancock and at the Deep Creek Lake Information
Center in McHenry. In addition to
the stations in Frostburg and
Friendsville, the company has
installed new Level 2 charging stations in Grantsville, Hagerstown, New
Windsor, Smithsburg and
Taneytown over the last 12 months.
Potomac Edison now has 26 charging stations at the following
locations:
- Boonsboro: Boonsboro
Town Hall, 15 North Main St.
- Cumberland:
Allegany College, 12401 Willowbrook
Road
- Cumberland: Liberty
Street Parking, 40 North Liberty St.
- Frederick: MARC
Station, 155 B and O Ave.
- Friendsville:
Friendsville Veterans Memorial Park, 321 Maple St. (three
stations)
- Frostburg: Parish Hall
Parking Lot, 16 Uhl St.
- Frostburg: Frostburg
Library, 65 East Main St. (two stations)
- Grantsville: 171 Main
St.
- Hagerstown:
Hagerstown Community College, 11400
Robinwood Drive
- Hancock: Joseph Hancock
Primitive Park, 159 West Main St. (two stations)
- Hancock: Rail Trail
Municipal Parking Lot, 77 West Main St.
- Keedysville:
Keedysville Library, 22 Taylor Drive
- McHenry: Deep Creek
Lake Information Center, 2 Vacation Way (three
stations)
- McHenry: Garrett College, 687 Mosser Road
- Middletown: Middletown
Municipal Parking, 119 Washington St.
- New Market: New Market
Town Hall, 40 South Alley
- New Windsor: New
Windsor Library, 1100 Green Valley Road
- Oakland: Oakland
Municipal Parking, 108 East Oak St.
- Smithsburg:
Smithsburg Police Department, 63
Railroad Lane
- Taneytown: Taneytown
Library, 10 Grand Drive
Electric vehicles offer a clean, efficient alternative to
gasoline-powered vehicles, averaging as low as one-third the cost
per mile of gasoline. Depending on the battery capacity, EV driving
range can vary from about 80 miles up to 280 miles or more. The
installation of public charging stations through the EV Driven
program will help reduce "range anxiety" for EV owners, as well as
provide key data to help determine future implementation efforts
throughout Maryland and other
areas served by FirstEnergy's utilities.
Through its EV Driven program, Potomac Edison is also offering
rebates for both residential and non-residential charger
installations. Residential customers of Potomac Edison in
Maryland are eligible for rebates
of $300 for the installation of EV
charging stations at their homes and can also earn additional
rewards for using their chargers during off-peak hours. In January,
the residential rebate and off-peak rewards program was expanded to
include Tesla, which accounts for the majority of electric vehicles
sold in the U.S.
Additionally, multifamily property owners can receive a rebate
of up to $20,000 for the installation
of charging stations within Potomac Edison's service territory. For
more information, visit www.evdrivenpe.com.
Potomac Edison serves about 275,000 customers in all or parts of
Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery, and Washington counties in Maryland and 151,000 customers in the Eastern
Panhandle of West Virginia. Follow
Potomac Edison at www.potomacedison.com, on Twitter @PotomacEdison,
and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PotomacEdison.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and
on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.