Kent Town Hall gets new EV charger

KENT — A new electric vehicle charger has been installed in the Town Hall parking lot, replacing one more than a decade old.

Voltpost, a private clean energy company, installed the new charger with the help of a $1.32 million state grant to update the EV infrastructure across Connecticut.

Kent Town Hall is one of 60 locations included in the grant provided by the Connecticut Innovative Energy Solutions program and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) in July.

First approved in 2025, the program partnered the state with Eversource and United Illuminating (UI), as well as the coalition Capitol Clean Cities of Connecticut to fund private companies and build out clean energy and transportation infrastructure.

Voltpost, a New York City based company, refurbishes old utility poles and refits them with modular level 2 EV chargers. The use of existing infrastructure cuts installation costs anywhere from 25-85%.

The new charger is in the same location as its predecessor, directly beside the Town Hall building. EV drivers are required to download the Voltpost app to purchase the electricity for 75 cents an hour. On average, an EV takes around 6 hours to fully charge.

Initially planned to be finished by the end of 2025, PURA delayed the project and lowered the number of new chargers. While PURA has only confirmed three locations, including Kent, the authority is actively pursuing cities like New Haven and Hartford, but is also considering another town in the Northwest corner: North Canaan.

PURA has not yet announced an updated project timeline.