Two years after the launch of a campaign to donate 100 electric vehicle charging stations in and near to national parks throughout the United States, BMW Group has announced successful completion of this project, which was completed in partnership with the National Park Foundation, National Park Service, and Department of Energy. So far, 90 of the charging stations have been installed, with the remaining stations on schedule to open this month.
“We can’t think of a better way to enjoy the summer than visiting one of America’s beautiful national parks. In making electric vehicle charging more widely available for everyone, this joint effort serves to make America’s national parks more accessible to drivers of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles,” said Bernhard Kuhnt, president and CEO, BMW of North America.
The parks leadership said the effort will help boost travel to our national parks by electric vehicle drivers.
“Thanks to public-private partnership, electric vehicle drivers can enjoy a quintessential national park road trip,” said Will Shafroth, president of the National Park Foundation. “Not only will drivers benefit, but also the businesses and communities at the doorstep of our treasured national parks.”
Factors that were considered when determining locations of the charging stations included:
- Proximity and strength of EV markets
- Distance from nearby charging locations
- Natural and cultural landscape considerations.
“The automobile has long been central to the great American vacation in national parks,” said National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith. “While our treasured landscapes offer familiar vistas time after time, the automobile has changed greatly, and parks want to meet the needs of our visitors who electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This partnership with BMW, the Department of Energy and the National Park Foundation offers electric car drivers a place to charge the car while recharging themselves with nature and parks.”
