The future is now, and there is no better example of that than the electric charging stations popping up in the area for drivers to charge their electric vehicles. 

Two of these were installed in The Forum shopping center last year and others have followed suit.  

When Jason Swain and his wife took a ride from San Diego to San Francisco, they couldn’t help but notice all the Teslas along the way. After some research, they decided to purchase one of their own. The electric vehicles (EV) are manufactured in California and are changing the way people like the Swains use energy.

“It’s a good-looking car, so I started to do some research on them and was taken by the concept of not having to go to the gas station anymore and being energy independent,” said Swain, of Swain & Associates, which developed The Forum and now manages the center after selling it in 2013. 

Teslas have no engine and run on a series of lithium-ion batteries that require charging. That’s where charging stations like The Forum’s come in handy. Swain partnered with Tesla to develop the charging station as an amenity of the shopping center, as well as be a good steward of the Earth.

“I see it as a clean way to move forward. I’m a developer, and I spend my day sensitive to the environment, and I’m consistently trying to be a good partner with the community and live in harmony with the environment,” Swain said. “I figured I need to put my money where my mouth is.” 

Swain has a Model S, a sedan that holds an average of 260 miles of charge. Tesla owners have access to a series of free Superchargers that are positioned at locations along major interstates and can recharge as many as 170 EPA rated miles in as little as 30 minutes. The chargers in The Forum are not Superchargers, but like Superchargers, they are free to Tesla drivers. Charging other electric cars is not possible at these locations. 

Other electric charging stations for other types of EVs around town include one in the Market Street parking deck in downtown Wilmington, Mayfaire Town Center, Whole Foods and the Hampton Inn & Suites on Old Eastwood Road.

In Brunswick County, the Brunswick Electric Membership Cooperative (BEMC) recently installed two DC Fast Charger “Car Power” EV charging stations in its service area. There are fewer than a dozen of these chargers in North Carolina, and they can charge an electric vehicle in about 20-30 minutes compared to the four to six hours it takes using a standard Level II charger, which can be found in Wilmington.

“This is another facet of our commitment to renewable power, and it gives folks another option, especially for those whose commitment is to going green,” BEMC spokeswoman Heather Holbrook said. 

BEMC CarPower’s northern location is available in Brunswick Forest, near the development’s entrance and Port City Java, and the southern location is at Callahan’s of Calabash.

“We serve what is best for the members of our cooperative, and these are in response to serving their needs as a trusted energy resource,” Holbrook said. “We also want to serve the community in general and with Hwy. 17 being so highly traveled, it was a no-brainer to partner with Brunswick Forest to provide this super-charger.” 

Novant Health also has gotten on board the electric train and installed two EV charging stations in the Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center’s parking lot. Each EV charging station can charge two EVs at once. 

“Brunswick Medical Center is one of the largest organizations and employers in the county,” said Shelbourn Stevens, president of Novant Brunswick Medical Center. “And, as such, we seek to be a good steward of the environment by offering a number of green initiatives.”

Drivers of EVs can install the PlugShare app on their phones to connect to a database of more than 50,000 charging stations nationwide.  

On March 31, Tesla Motors unveiled its Model 3 in hopes of reaching a broader audience with its EVs. At a base price of $35,000, the Model 3 is comparable to the average car price, but it will go at least 200 miles on a single charge.  

Swain said he hoped the new vehicle would provide more people with the option of electric. 

“The Model 3 will give a mass-market appeal, and we will start gravitating to electric cars. They are far more efficient, so why not take advantage of this technology?” he said. “As infrastructure becomes more widely adapted, we can get into our electric cars and go and not worry about the cost of gas.”  

Swain says his energy savings are a third when he powers his car at home, and he pays nothing for energy when he powers up at The Forum. He said it was just a matter of time before other companies realize the need to invest in this type of technology. 

“Tesla will force everyone’s hand on the issue, and Detroit won’t be able to ignore the issue,” Swain said. “Oil is not a renewable resource, and we need to look at new and different ways to go forward.”

Swain & Associates also has charging stations coming to new shopping centers in New Bern and Cape Carteret. 

“We are committed to investing in ourselves and what we think the future holds, and we want to set an example,” Swain said. “We want to be at the forefront of doing the right things. As a developer, I know we have to think outside the box, and it’s pretty obvious to me that we need to figure out some alternative ways to power ourselves.”

Since plug-in electric vehicles were introduced in 2011, every major auto manufacturer is now developing or selling a plug-in model. More than 300,000 vehicles have been purchased across the United States.

Blair Brown, a member of the Electric Auto Association Coastal Carolinas Wilmington chapter, drives a Nissan Leaf. She said more charging stations are needed, and employers should offer charging options also. 

“If we can get some installed where people are for long periods of time – at the beach, the gym, shopping places – where people park and stay for three or four hours at a time. Superchargers are so sexy, but plugs are reliable,” Brown said. “These cars all come with adapters that plug into a normal three-plug outlet, so a wonderful, viable option is for companies to offer employees an outlet. It costs so few pennies, it’s negligible.”