WARSAW — Statistics provided by the city of Warsaw show the two electric vehicle charging stations established in 2023 are getting similar amounts of use and that that use in 2024 slowly climbed.

[caption id="attachment_104364" align="alignright" width="290"] A close-up of the charging station behind the Warsaw municipal parking lot near Jefferson Street. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

The stations are north of the courthouse and in the municipal parking lot near the Expressions Salon Day Spa.

The stations delivered just under 16,000 kWh, roughly the same between both stations with enough energy to drive about 50,000 miles, according to information provided by the city.

In 2023, there were 1,613 sessions, peaking in August at 185.

The service was used by 150 unique drivers. About 100 used the station at the Courthouse while 84 used the municipal lot.

The typical session length was 1.5 to 2 hours.

City planner Justin Taylor said the pilot program has been a "net positive" for downtown and supports the effort.

He said the slow rise is probably attributable to a combination of getting the word out about the service and the rise in the number of electric vehicles in the area.

“I think it makes sense with all the other efforts we’re doing to bring people downtown ... to offer it as an amenity,” Taylor said.

The city service has relied on a grant from the national Volkswagon court settlement in which the carmaker was fined for manipulating mileage.

Under the program, the city has covered the cost of charging each vehicle for the first two hours per visit.

But that program is coming to an end and the city will have to decide how to handle the service in the future.

“As a community, we need to decide are we going to continue to offer that first two hours free or are we going to look at charging hourly from the beginning — what does that look like,” Taylor said.

Winona Lake plans to establish four charging stations in a new parking lot adjacent to the town hall parking lot by the end of the year.

Taylor applauded the move.

“That’s impressive that they’re doing that. I think that’s a great amenity for that park,” Taylor said.

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WARSAW -- Winona Lake is in line for its first electric vehicle charging station.

Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) is applying for grant money from the U.S. Department of Transportation with the goal of establishing 20 to 25 locations across Kosciusko, Marshall, St. Joe and Elkhart countries.

The grant covers 80 percent of the cost and the host would be expected to cover the rest.

The proposed location in Winona Lake would be in the parking lot of the town hall.

Hosts can be government entities and companies whose parking lots are available 24/7 …  According to Leah Thill, MACOG’s director of sustainability.

Thill said they’re hoping to add charging stations in towns like Winona Lake, Argos and Middlebury that otherwise would not likely see the service made available.

The only two electric charging stations currently available for public use in Kosciusko County are near the courthouse in Warsaw.

Convincing the public to embrace electric vehicle options is still a work in progress.

About 90 percent of those who purchase an electric vehicle have a charging station at home.

Public charging stations provide a good backup, she said.

"We think there is a chicken and the egg issue," Thill said. "If we can bring charging (into the public square) we'll be able to see the cars that are already here and being charged at home and will reveal a good option that's here."

Thill was in Warsaw asking for (and receiving) support from the Kosciusko County Commissioners for a non-binding letter of support for the grant.

Anyone interested in hosting a charging station is encouraged to contact MACOG.

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