The Co-op Farm and Garden True Value in Sequim is the first to install an electric vehicle (EV) charging station in the city and offers free charging to EV owners.

General manager Mike Youngquist said making the charging free “is the cost of doing business — it’s only 75 cents an hour and hopefully while their cars are charging for an hour, they’ll come in and shop.”

Stations for electric car charging have gotten more common in recent years.

Youngquist said, “Although The Co-op has been in business almost 79 years, we are always looking for innovative ways to stay current with the times.”

He noted, “There are quite a few electric cars in Sequim, mostly Nissan Leafs, a few Teslas and a few miscellaneous brands.”

Youngquist is quick to give Jean Janis, a new Co-op board member, credit for suggesting the idea. He also credits the board of directors, led by president Gene Adolphsen, for supporting this investment.

The idea is to draw locals and visitors to the store (and the community) who will be spending hours — and money — while they are in town.

The Sun Country Highway model SCH100 EV charger now available for use at The Co-op is considered the “Big Kahuna” of Level 2 EV charging. It charges up to 80 amps continuously and it uses a J1772 universal adapter.

It has a 19.4 kilowatt rating for fast charging. It also comes with a 22-foot cord.

“This charger is much more powerful than a home charger and in one hour’s time, you can get a significant charge,” Youngquist said.

“You just plug it in and hit ‘start’ and hit it again to turn it off.”

The self-service charging station is easily accessible in The Co-op parking lot at the store’s location at 216 E. Washington St. in Sequim.

The charger will be “online” during regular store hours from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

Call The Co-op at 683-4111 or visit its website at www.theco-opfarmandgarden.com or follow it on Facebook.

Sun Country Highway is a private Canadian-owned company with the mission to create a global infrastructure for the electric vehicle industry. It provides the most powerful electric vehicle charging technology in the market today.

For more information, visit the Sun Country Highway website at suncountryhighway.com.