WINTER PARK, Fla. – A new electric vehicle charging hub, unveiled Thursday in a downtown parking lot, represents more than just a place to power up cars.
City officials say it’s also a strategic move to enhance urban mobility, alleviate traffic and reinforce Winter Park’s forward-thinking personality.
“This will create more walkability and ‘bikeability’ where you can just bring your car, leave it and not have to go from spot to spot,” Winter Park Mayor Sheila DiCiccio said at an event to celebrate the installation. “It’s part of our personality. We don’t like all the traffic. We like our small-town feel.”
The effort is a result of a public-private partnership between Winter Park and Charge Point, Optimus Energy Solutions and GM Energy. The goal is to also install chargers for electric scooters and bikes on the site, which sits on the southeast corner of W. Morse Boulevard and W. Park Avenue near the train station.
For Mount Dora-based Optimus Energy Solutions, the collaboration
CEO Ben Pauluhn called the partnership “an unemotional 10 out of 10.”
“Oftentimes, you get public entities that have great assets but they are in the business of service delivery,” he said. “But we can make investments, leverage and improve those assets for the benefit of residents, visitors and for events.”
Optimus has partnered with Winter Park before.
The company has provided service and maintenance for various city-owned charging infrastructure for years.
Since 2022, Optimus has helped electrify the city’s municipal fleet and installed EV charging stations at Climate First Bank, as well.
As electric vehicles grow in adoption, Pauluhn said
“You don’t have to read the tea leaves,” he said. “When people drive electric vehicles, the consumer wins from a safety and noise perspective, especially families. The adoption continues to march forward.”
For Winter Park, the new hub aligns with its long-term strategy for sustainable growth.
But, beyond that, it could help transform Winter Park’s Park Avenue reputation.
The Park Avenue refresh, the first major update to the area since the late 1990s, is a multi-year, multi-million dollar initiative that includes new streetlights, enhanced infrastructure, and improved public safety measures.
It aims to modernize the beloved avenue while preserving its historic charm, incorporating elements like improved lighting, benches, and wireless internet connectivity.
“We want that old Old Town charm,” said Gloria Eby, the city’s natural resources and sustainability department director. “But we also have to be infrastructurally sound as a smart city.”