Out of the box and installed, I can’t believe it’s been two years at this location. The time has really flown by. Hi, I’m KPM, the ChargePro, Charging Station at King of Prussia Mall and I was installed around August of 2011. My location is directly outside of Nordstrom, which is generally very busy.

One of the most interesting things about being here is seeing the license plates and all the different states that people come from. Earlier, I was studying a North Carolina license plate as the car’s owner, a woman in her mid 30s, swiped her card across my front panel. Her lips moved silently as she read along to the instructions, occasionally pausing to tell her companion how “sophisticated and sleek” I looked. Once the session started, my LED lights went from green to blue in response.

There are a lot of activities at the mall that draw in families. I really enjoy seeing the kids that come through here, even when they try and climb my pedestal. A lot of the time, the kids will ask their parents if they can help with the charging session. The parents tell their kids to, “listen for the click to know I’m attached” and the kids are always so amazed and excited to help. I think it makes them feel  proud that they are able to start the charging session on their own.

Another thing I like, is seeing the shopping bags that people are carrying as they walk to their cars. Sometimes I get to see what people have bought if they are close enough to me. The other day, there was a man with a Cartier bag who was plugged in here and as he stopped in front of me, he pulled out a tiny box and smiled down at the ring inside. Those are the days that I’m really happy to be chosen for this location.

I have friends inside the mall too, which is nice to think about. A Tesla showroom just opened in May of 2013. Tesla has had a very luring affect on the public, as it has received many of the most prestigious awards and accolades during it’s first year on the market. If Tesla keeps turning heads and getting more people interested in EV’s, then maybe I’ll have some new ChargePro faces around here to keep me company. That would be nice since the drivers that use me always seem so happy to plug in and shop.

Most of the time, the Charging Station spots are taken and I see other EV drivers looking at me, hoping to be able to plug in. Since this is the largest mall in the US in terms of leasable retail space and there are over 400 stores, people are frequently disappearing inside for hours. Hopefully this will lead to more Charging Stations installs one day soon. In the meantime, as the sun sets and the EV’s drive away...I can’t help but feel proud that I helped each one of them pave the way to a cleaner greener future.

Amber Perry is a Marketing Specialist at SemaConnect. She graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies from Towson University. Amber handles the SemaConnect blog, supports Public Relations efforts and helps build the overall brand. As a new EV convert, Amber reports with a truly fresh perspective. Learn and grow with her! She can be reached at amber.perry@semaconnect.com