RaceTrac has partnered with electric vehicle (EV) charging provider EnviroSpark to install the convenience store chain’s first EV charging station in Oxford, Alabama.

The site, located at 204 Grace Street, was chosen for its convenient location near I-20 between Birmingham and Atlanta.

Trenholm State Community College has joined the Innovate Alabama Network and received a grant of more than $240,000 to expand its Automotive Service Program to focus on Electric Vehicle maintenance.

Innovate Alabama is a statewide public-private partnership that assists innovators in establishing roots in Alabama through entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation. The Innovate Alabama Network connects communities, nonprofits, and higher education institutions across the state in order to encourage collaboration among and growth within the Network’s members.

Mary Palmer Rosenau can show easily show the benefits and efficiency of electric vehicles. A map in front of her Volkswagen ID.4 SUV illustrated just how much she can accomplish with her vehicle, a few stops, and a little extra planning.

Rosenau in August drove her SUV across country more than 2,500 miles from Birmingham to Niagara Falls with stops in New York and Boston. The trip there cost about $150.

A technical team of experts is being formed to create a $30 million center at the Alabama Robotics Technology Park that is expected to put north Alabama on the cutting edge of electric vehicle technology.

Ed Castile, director of Alabama Industrial Development and Technology (AIDT), said Wednesday that he plans to have a team that features representatives of the state’s automotive makers — Mazda-Toyota, Mercedes and Hyundai — and state colleges and universities leading the creation of the new EV center.