Canton, Ohio’s Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) added a new, electrifying component to its alternative energy portfolio: a state-of-the-art ChargePoint Level 2 electric vehicle charging station.

Provided by EVUnited and installed at SARTA’s Belden Village Transit Center by Thompson Electric of Munroe Falls, Ohio, there is no charge for using the station, which is capable of charging two vehicles at a time in four to five hours. A $15,000 EPA grant was used to fund the station, which went online March 1.

“We are literally charged up by the project and pleased to offer this free service to the EV-driving public,” SARTA CEO Kirt Conrad said. “In addition to being a perfect fit with our sustainability efforts, the charging station will give us the opportunity to attract new riders.”

“EV owners can pull in, plug in, and then hop on one of our hydrogen fuel cell or CNG-powered buses and take a short ride to the Belden Village Mall, go to work, go to school, go to a medical appointment, go out to eat, go bowling, take in a movie or visit the Hall of Fame,” he continued. We look at as a real win-win. EV owners get a free charge, and we get to demonstrate that SARTA is the safe, affordable, convenient, low-emission way to reach thousands of destinations in Stark County and beyond.”

Conrad, who has traveled across the U.S and Canada to demonstrate the advantages of the transit system’s hydrogen fuel-cell buses, said SARTA is always eager to promote alternative energy transportation solutions. “Many people were skeptical when we began our quest to improve the quality of life in our community by assembling and operating a fleet of vehicles that would release significantly fewer health-harming pollutants into the air,” he said.

“We proved it can be done. Now, as America and the world move toward the zero-emission future and companies like ChargePoint and EVUnited are leading the way. We are extremely proud to have the opportunity to work and partner with them,” he concluded.