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Nevada Creates One Stop On The Electric Highway

Tesla is building batteries for electric cars in the northern part of the state. Faraday Future is planning to build electric cars in the southern part of the state.

But what if someone wants to drive from, say, Reno to Las Vegas? Will their electric car make it that 450 miles before needing to be recharged? If not, where can they possibly recharge it?

Well, today the answer is Beatty. Governor Sandoval just cut the ribbon on the first Nevada charging station in that town. And soon, there might be other electric charging stations dotting Nevada.

Angela Dykema, the director of the Governor's Office of Energy, told KNPR's State of Nevada that eventually charging stations will be built in Fallon, Hawthorne and Tonopah. 

“They are all a set distance a part to accommodate the extended range of plug in electrical vehicles,” she said.

The project is funded by the Governor's Office of Energy and NV Energy, where it provides power, and Valley Electric. 

The station at Beatty has two level-two charging stations, which take between four and seven hours to charge a car depending on the model. There are also faster DC chargers which can charge a car in less than an hour.

Dykema said the long charging time will give travelers a chance to explore some of the state's rural areas while their cars charge. 

Angela Dykema, director of the Governor’s Office of Energy

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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Carrie Kaufman no longer works for KNPR News. She left in April 2018)