In partnership with Georgia Power, WIKA USA has installed six Level 2 chargers for electric vehicles at the Lawrenceville location, a move that supports energy diversity and environmental sustainability.
Since WIKA’s earliest days, social responsibility – improving our community and the world at large – has been a corporate core value. One of the ways we live that value is by helping our customers increase their energy efficiency, bolster sustainability efforts, adopt clean energy, and reduce waste through repairs rather than replacements.
These and other planet-friendly measures are not only for other businesses, but for our own as well. That’s why when Georgia Power rolled out its Electric Transportation Make Ready Program, WIKA USA was eager to get on board.
EV chargers
WIKA on the Road to Electric Transportation
About a year ago, Georgia’s main electric utility made it easier to install electric charging infrastructure at public and private locations across the state. Right away, WIKA’s senior managers, including Bobby Herring, were interested. The Director of Facilities for WIKA Americas wanted to give both employees and visitors a way to charge their e-vehicles onsite.
He applied to the Make Ready program, in which GP would install and maintain the panels, switchgear, wiring, conduits, disconnects, and other infrastructure for e-charging, all at no cost. WIKA USA’s responsibility would be to purchase charging stations, make room for them in the parking lot, and install the wheel stops that prevent damage to the chargers.
“This was an easy decision for the company to make, and a smart investment,” Herring says. “The chargers support sustainable transportation in regards to low and zero emissions, energy efficiency, and affordable modes of transport.”
The installation was completed in May 2022, and the WIKA USA headquarters now has six Level 2 charging stations with the capacity to expand to 10 total stations. Charging is completely free for employees and visitors, who have used almost 3,000 kW, or the equivalent of about 90 gallons of gas, in the four months since the service went live.
The feedback has been positive. “The employees who are using the chargers are very happy, as the convenience of charging at work is a big plus,” said Herring, whose wish is to see even more users. “Now that we have chargers at our facility, we hope it will interest others enough to purchase EVs or plug-in hybrids.”