Electric charging station installed at King of Prussia turnpike service plaza

KING OF PRUSSIA The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has opened an electric-vehicle charging station at the King of Prussia service plaza.

Drivers of electric vehicles can now pull around the back of the service station on the westbound side of the turnpike, and charge their vehicles for $1 to $2 an hour.

The "Level 2" terminals charge faster than a typical at-home plug, but still would take hours to fully charge a car's battery.

Suzanne Tamargo, a spokeswoman for Car Charging, the company that operates the terminals, said drivers would get an average of 11 to 22 m.p.h. of charge, depending on the vehicle.

The charging stations came in part thanks to a $1 million Department of Environmental Protection grant aimed at increasing the market for alternative-fuel vehicles in Pennsylvania.

The Bowmansville service plaza in Lancaster County also got a charging station on Monday, and two more are planned.

- Jessica Parks