4 car chargers open on Pennsylvania Turnpike

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Two electric car charging stations have opened at western Pennsylvania rest stops along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, meaning four of 17 chargers planned for the toll road are now operating.

The chargers opened this month at rest areas in New Stanton and Oakmont, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. Chargers opened in April in Bowmansville and King of Prussia in eastern Pennsylvania.

Car Charging Group, of Miami, has plans for 13 more along the turnpike.

The project was budgeted at $2.5 million, with $1 million each coming from Car Charging Group and the state Department of Environmental Protection for the charging equipment. Another $500,000 was provided by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for utility infrastructure changes needed to power the chargers.

The charging equipment cost less than expected, but the infrastructure improvements cost more, said Car Charging Group president Andy Kinar, though he wouldn’t specify by how much or how the company expects to fund it.