EPIC’s PoleVolt wins Clean Cities Region of Excellence Award

February 14, 2023
Categories: General News Tags: Awards and honors, EPIC

UNC Charlotte’s PoleVolt, the innovative solution that uses existing streetlights to provide curbside electric vehicle charging, has added another accolade. It recently received the Clean Cities/Clean Fuels Coalition Award from the Centralina Regional Council.

Developed by the University’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center, PoleVolt was installed curbside in the historic West End neighborhood of Charlotte in February 2022. Researchers have been able to test the infrastructure and technology usage, gather data and raise community awareness for public vehicle charging stations.

This past fall, UNC Charlotte, the city of Charlotte and Duke Energy received the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Cleantech award from the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster for partnering to develop PoleVolt.

The Centralina Regional Council “Region of Excellence” award recognizes regional partnerships that promote clean fuels and energy efficient mobility options, such as the collaborative effort that led to PoleVolt.

“The Charlotte region is stepping up to be a national leader in clean energy advancements, especially in North Carolina, which has quickly become a hub for the EV industry. EPIC is deeply embedded in that leadership,” said Rob Cox, associate director, EPIC, and lead for the PoleVolt research and development team. “We are partnering with industry, as well as government and community partners like Centralina Regional Council, to address socioeconomic challenges with energy utilization technology. We appreciate the recognition of this award, and share the honor with our partners.”

Engineering student Phillip Harmon accepted the Clean Cities/Clean Fuels Coalition Award. He, along with fellow undergraduate Grady Harwood, led the development of the cloud-based software used in PoleVolt.

The Centralina Regional Council Region of Excellence awards program is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy; it recognizes successes in clean, equitable transportation in the Charlotte area that expand opportunity and improve the quality of life of local residents.