Westmoreland County’s effort to add public EV chargers in its parks is at a standstill, with the startup selected for the work now appearing inactive.
The collapse leaves residents without the public charging access they had been told was coming and underscores how a failed private deal can slow cleaner, cheaper transportation options for everyday drivers.
What happened?
According to TribLive, county officials are moving to end a 2022 contract with Kilocharge LLC, a Rostraver startup that had planned to place chargers in up to four county parks. The five-year arrangement called for Kilocharge to handle installation expenses and send the county 25% of the money brought in from drivers using the chargers.
TribLive reported that Twin Lakes Park was supposed to be the first location, with Cedar Creek Park, Mammoth Park, and Northmoreland Park later discussed as additional sites. The project never reached the construction stage, leaving the county with neither charging stations nor revenue under the agreement.
County officials said the company attributed the delay to trouble getting electrical service in place, but repeated meetings over the years still failed to produce any visible progress. According to TribLive, attempts to reach Kilocharge also went unanswered: its listed phone number is inactive, and an email was not returned, reinforcing the impression that the company may no longer be operating.
Why does it matter?
Federal data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center showed 15 EV charging stations in Westmoreland County in 2022. Four years later, that total had only climbed to about two dozen, but county property still had none.
TribLive reported that nearly 500 charging locations are within 30 miles of Greensburg, although most are clustered in Pittsburgh and its eastern suburbs.
What are people saying?
County Commissioner Sean Kertes summed up the frustration bluntly: “The company never came through. … Now we’ll wait and see if any other company decides to do this here.”
Brandon Simpson, whom TribLive identified as the county Parks and Recreation Department’s assistant director, said that officials had big hopes for the partnership: “We had plans to expand this to other parks and county properties; they were really going after it.”
Even with this contract falling apart, county leaders say the idea itself is still on the table. As Commissioner Ted Kopas put it: “We’d certainly be open to entertain it if another outfit came along.”
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