A new DART project can help commuters catch a train and a charge. Collaborating with the North Central Texas Council of Governments, DART has installed electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at its Illinois Station in Southern Dallas and at the Glenn Heights Park & Ride station.

Nadine Lee

“DART is implementing sustainable technologies across our service area,” said Nadine Lee, DART’s president and CEO, including the new charging hubs in areas that don’t have the service. The agency isn’t stopping there, Lee said in a statement: It aims to “work with other agencies, stakeholders, and organizations” to bring more improvements to its riders and communities.

DART’s Blink Series 8 Dual Port Level 2 Chargers can recharge a standard EV “within 4-8 hours,” making them an option for daytime commuters. Bonus: the chargers have dual ports and are “free to use through August 31, 2024.”

Glenn Heights’ Interim City Manager Keith Moore is “delighted” that DART chose the city as one of its first to roll out the services, according to the transit agency.

DART is setting “the city ahead of the curve” by providing not just a charging location, but the potential for “significant cost savings over time for drivers.”

The purchase of electric vehicles is rising “due to consumer preferences, auto industry trends, and potential requirements set by governing bodies,” Moore said in a news release.  

Local governments need to be “EV ready,” he said.

The EV charger installation got its juice from a $79,472 NCTCOG grant award under the group’s Electric Vehicle Charging Station Call for Projects program using Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds. The project serves as a pilot to help DART “better understand usage, benefits, and costs” for potentially broader future rollouts.

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