CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- On September 24, Murphy USA unveiled its first electric vehicle (EV) charging station at a Murphy Express location in Chattanooga, Tenn. While this is only a pilot test, Murphy USA said that it plans to incorporate these units in other stations in the future.
"We sell the fuels our customers want," said Tom McKinlay, Murphy Oil USA president, who spoke at the store for the unveiling of the unit. "We'll be listening to our customers."
Chattanooga "is where Murphy USA really began," said McKinlay. "We started our retail business here 15 years ago ... a new concept in terms of low-cost ... gasoline. We chose to come back to Chattanooga because we want to launch another new concept--the retail electric charging station. ... We want to keep the country moving--that's our job whether it's through electric vehicles or more traditional gas vehicles."
He said that the company will use this charging station to test the concept and the market, especially by listening to customers.
This DC-3 charger from Eaton Corp. can charge an electric vehicle to 80% in under 30 minutes, a fraction of the time of at-home charging, according to the company.
The charging is being offered for free.
John Wirtz, manager of Eaton's electrical transportation infrastructure business unit, said that this unit will help deal with so-called "range anxiety" that drivers face because of limited availability of charging stations.
Cleveland-based Eaton is a diversified power management company with 2010 sales of $13.7 billion. It is a global technology leader in electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety.
El Dorado, Ark.-based Murphy Oil is an international oil and gas company. It owns refining and marketing operations in the United States and the United Kingdom. Murphy USA Marketing Co. (Murphy Oil USA Inc.) operates 1,120 gas stations under the Murphy USA brand across 23 states. These are high-volume, low-cost retail gasoline stations, primarily in the parking areas of Wal-Mart Supercenters. Murphy Oil USA also operates a network of 12 company-owned terminals. These terminals, along with numerous third-party terminals, provide fuel supply to retail and branded wholesale stations.
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