Every year, more and more visitors to Door County are driving in with electric vehicles. Sturgeon Bay Utilities has recently donated a level-2 electric vehicle charger to the city in late Summer. This dual charge-point charger is now set up in the Market Square parking lot downtown. This charger is capable of charging two vehicles at once. Purchased for just over $10,000, SBU was reimbursed for $5,000 of the cost by their non-profit wholesale power provider, WPPI Energy, as part of their technology initiative. Over the past month, this charger dispensed 160 kilowatt hours of electricity, which at 10 cents per kilowatt hour, has cost the city only $16 thus far. This resulted in the avoidance of 67 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of planting two trees and letting them grow for 10 years. The average charge length is 2 hours and 18 minutes, which undoubtedly benefits nearby businesses within walking distance downtown. SBU General Manager Jim Stawicki comments, “People are already using the charger, and we expect its usage to increase in the coming years.” Other similar chargers in Sturgeon Bay can be found at Crossroads at Big Creek and at Destination Door County.
