Dominion installing home chargers for electric vehicles

Dominion Energy unveiled a program aimed at helping the owners of electric vehicles overcome range anxiety.

Range anxiety, which refers to worry that a car’s battery will run out of power before reaching its destination or the nearest charging station, is one of the leading reasons given for why people don’t buy electric vehicles. To manage the logistics of charging their electric vehicle while going about daily tasks, customers often resort to getting partial charges at public stations which are sometimes being used or under repair, among other headache-inducing steps.

To address this, Dominion launched the Residential Charger Program which allows customers to pay off the installation cost for a residential charging station over five years. Those who are approved will have $40.27 added to their monthly power bill for a total cost of $2,416.20.

These stations would allow owners to charge their electric vehicles overnight, much like a cellphone, explained Dominion spokesperson Cherise Newsome.

To be approved for Dominion’s residential charger, you must be an existing residential customer of Dominion in Virginia in good standing, own a free-standing single-family home, have capacity in your electrical panel to support required upgrades, and have a charging location that is within a reasonable distance from your main electrical panel with a clear path between.

“(Residential) charging stations are only going to be installed at homes that can support it,” Newsome said.

Customers who qualify as low-income, meaning an annual household income below 80% of the median income of the area where the household is located, can have a home charger installed at no cost, according to Dominion.

The Department of Energy estimates that there are about 85,000 electric vehicles registered in Virginia, 11th most in the country. Currently, there are 187 public charging stations with 541 charging ports within a 40-mile radius of downtown Norfolk (which encompasses the majority of Hampton Roads), compared with 233 stations and 610 ports within a 40-mile radius of downtown Richmond, according to a map compiled by Virginia Clean Cities.

There are only 13 privately owned charging stations with 27 total charging ports within a 40-mile radius of downtown Norfolk. About 100 people have signed up for Dominion’s Residential Charger Program so far, according to Newsome.

“In some areas there isn’t infrastructure in a public setting broadly to support EV charging in every area so it helps to have layers of charging options for EV owners,” she said.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, [email protected]