Murphy USA Opens Indiana's First Level 3 Quick Charger

GREENWOOD, Ind. -- Murphy USA opened the state's first level 3 quick-charge electric vehicle station here yesterday.

The new quick charger touts the ability to fully charge an electric vehicle in 30 minutes, Angelos Lambis, vice president of operations for Murphy USA, told CSNews Online. Previous chargers took up to 12 hours to fully charge a vehicle, he said.

The grand opening for the electric vehicle station is a test for Murphy USA. The c-store chain opened a level 3 charger in September in Chattanooga, Tenn., and also has installed a level 3 charger in Plainfield, Ind., said Lambis.

Although the Plainfield charger is currently operational, Murphy USA decided to have the official ribbon cutting of the Greenwood location first, Lambis added.

Not all c-store and gas station visits last 30 minutes, the time it takes to charge a vehicle with the new level 3 charger. However, Lambis said he believes electric vehicle chargers can be a successful c-store offering.

"Our role at Murphy USA is to provide the fuel our customers need," Lambis told CSNews Online. We definitely feel this is an offering we should provide at our stores."

To further amplify his statement, Lambis said the electric charging station is doing well at El Dorado, Ark-based Murphy USA's Chattanooga store. "We already have a number of customers consistently using the [level 3 charger] there," he said.

In addition to charging time, "range anxiety" is another purported setback to owning an electric vehicle. "I certainly understand the perception about range anxiety," said Lambis. "Over time as an infrastructure is built, that anxiety subsides. Also, vehicle owners would still have the option of charging their vehicles using a level 1 charger that charges overnight."