Alum gifts EV charging station to downtown  

Alyssa Tyler editor in chief 

Alumni, faculty, and members of the community gathered at the Colonial Fox Theatre to unveil the new electrical vehicle charger.  

The charger was gifted by Kelly Burgess, an alumni of Pittsburg State University and Electrification Specialist at CNH Industrial and owner of Action Charging and Energy, a charging company based in Nebraska.  

“Being a Pittsburg native, (it) has always been my hometown and when I moved away, I’ve always been drawn back to Pittsburg. My father who drives electrical vehicles, told me, ‘Hey, we need to get something in Pittsburg. Is there something we can do?’ So, I contacted the university, and they told me that we need to get some downtown. So, I gifted them a charger and today was the first day was the day that it’s been open. So it’s very exciting to have in downtown Pittsburg. Especially with all of the revitalization efforts going on downtown. This really gives EV (electrical vehicle) drivers an opportunity to experience the improvements that have been made.” 

While there are other chargers based around Pittsburg, this charger is the fastest in the area. The next closest ones would be in Joplin, MO. 

“Typically, in a house you’ll find a level 2AC charger, this is actually a level 3DC fast charger. It’s about four times faster than what you would get in your house. So this has the capability of charging most EV’s in about two hours. Which is perfect to come down and grab a drink and a burger, or your favorite entrée and enjoy downtown.” 

The charger can be used for most electrical vehicles, including Tesla’s with an adapter. For those to use it, they must download the Switch Energy app on their smartphone. After pulling the app up, they can connect it to the charger, and begin to charge their car for approximately 10 dollars an hour.  

“The cost of the charger itself is about 12,000 dollars. Then the installations will vary. This one needed a significant amount of installation, but we just finished it today, so we don’t know what the bill will be. It’s worth it to make sure that we have this EV fast charging capability available in Pittsburg.” 

Some of those attending the event were focused on sustainability, believing that electric cars are the way to go.  

“They are very excited, there have been many comments to me over the past year that we needed to get something in Pittsburg. Because there is limited level two stations and no fast charger till today, so we knew we needed to do something. Having grown up here, all of these people at this event were instrumental in my development, so it was time for me to give back.”