Louisville Metro, LG&E Partner To Install Electric Vehicle Charging Station In Seneca Park

Drivers of electric vehicles in Louisville have yet another place to “fill up” their batteries with the installation of a new public charging station at Seneca Park through Louisville Gas and Electric Company’s EV Charging Station Program.

Seneca Park was chosen using data collected by Drive Clean Louisville, a Metro Government initiative that promotes the benefits of alternative fuel vehicles. A survey asked the public to identify places in Louisville in need of vehicle chargers, and Seneca Park was among the top spots named.

LG&E is locating this and other stations around the Louisville area through its EV Charging Station Program to meet the growing demand for accessible, convenient charging facilities as more motorists embrace electric vehicles.

Taking a data-driven approach to selecting the Seneca Park site aligns with one of Mayor Greg Fischer’s goals for the city.

“It just makes sense to ask the people who drive electric vehicles to tell us where they need these chargers to be,” said Mayor Fischer. “It’s a bottom-up, data-driven approach that gives the community a say in the conversation as we work to make Louisville more sustainable.”

Located on Rock Creek Drive near the restrooms and tennis courts, the Seneca Park charging station will be available to the public for an hourly fee during normal park hours. The station is equipped with convenient quick-pay options and safety features, including charging plugs that lock in place when not in use.

“It’s exciting to help answer the community’s call and assist Metro Louisville in bringing its survey results to life,” said Beth McFarland, vice president of Customer Services for LG&E and Kentucky Utilities Company. “Installing a public EV charging station at Seneca Park aligns well with the intent of our program, and its design encourages the use of public spaces like widely popular community parks.” Seve Ghose, director of Louisville Parks and Recreation, said he hopes this is the start of a long partnership with LG&E to provide electric-vehicle chargers throughout the community.

“Louisville Parks and Recreation fully supports environmentally conscious ventures such as this,” Ghose said. “And what better place than a park to situate them? Thank you, LG&E.”

Drive Clean Louisville is being spearheaded by the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, which has long been a proponent of alternative-fuel transportation as a way help improve local air quality.

According to Michelle King, APCD Director of Program Planning, the Drive Clean Louisville team is a collaborative effort to find resources and develop policies that promote cleaner transportation options across the city.

“From gathering community input on electric vehicle charging infrastructure to sharing those learnings with partners like LG&E, our goal is to serve as a hub for ideas, information, and opportunities that will allow our city to continue fostering vibrant economic activity while at the same time supporting clean air for all,” King said. Through LG&E and KU’s EV Charging Station Program, which was approved in 2016 by the Kentucky Public Service Commission, the utilities host nine additional publicly-accessible charging stations. Customers also can host vehicle charging stations at their locations for public and private use through the program. The utilities continue to evaluate potential locations for additional public charging stations across their service territories.

For more on LG&E’s EV charger network, go here.

To find out more about Drive Clean Louisville, go here.