The Port of Corpus Christi has been awarded a grant for the purchase and installation of six electric vehicle charging stations.
The funding comes from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Program (TxVEMP) and directly supports the port’s energy transition efforts in the Texas Coastal Bend region.
Dual mounted pedestal Combined Charging System’s equipped with a Society of Automotive Engineers J1772 Connector will be implemented at the port. These can fully charge an electric vehicle’s battery in roughly three hours or less.
“The Port of Corpus Christi, as the nation’s largest export gateway of American energy, is committed to ensuring we are always looking to the future amid the ongoing energy transition,” said Sean Strawbridge, Chief Executive Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi.
“Providing this electric vehicle charging infrastructure for not just our own employees, but the general public is part of a longstanding pledge from the Port of Corpus Christi to do all it can to reduce emissions on, along and around our waterways.”
A total of 12 charging spots will be available for use – with two vehicles able to be charged at each station once fully installed outside the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center.
Jeff Pollack, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi, added “We are truly a hub for multi-modal mobility. These funds will accelerate the conversion of our fleet to alternative fuels and will allow us to better serve our visitors, our employees, and the public by making more electric vehicle charging stations available in our community.”
The equipment is set to be installed over the coming months.
The Port of Corpus Christi’s dedication to environmental sustainability can also be seen in its recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to further its research into decarbonisation and energy transition projects.
The agreement aims to advance collaboration between the port, the NREL and port tenants by identifying scalable energy transition and decarbonisation projects.
