EV WELCOME CENTERS: OPPORTUNITIES FOR REVITALIZATION AND TOURISM

Georgia is leading the nation with anticipated EV manufacturing jobs and is at the forefront of efforts to build out the charging network. Providing EV charging is one way rural communities are seeking to bring travelers to their communities. For this region, creating welcome centers with EV charging stations in each community would be a way to not only provide charging but also encourage those passing through to learn about the community, buy local products, use a clean restroom, and stroll through downtown.

The proposed welcome centers in this plan exemplify this concept. Throughout the region, a number of abandoned gas stations sit unused, likely because of perceived environmental contamination. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s brownfields program provides funding support to assess and redevelop brownfield sites. In recent years, the agency has been encouraging, through funding priorities, the redevelopment of these sites into EV charging stations. Thus, communities have the opportunity to retain the nostalgic charm of old gas stations while also projecting a 21st-century sensibility and bringing EV drivers downtown. This plan embraces this trend by envisioning abandoned gas stations throughout the study region transformed into welcome centers, with EV and e-bike charging stations.