PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Duck Thru Partners with FreeWire to Launch First EV Charging Station

AHOSKIE, NC– Jernigan Oil Company, Inc., parent company of Duck Thru Food Stores, is excited to announce the deployment of its first EV Charger at Duck Thru 54 located at 775 US 64 E. in Columbia, NC 27925. FreeWire Technologies’ Boost Charger 200 was the unit of choice at this location. The installation of the Boost Charger 200 allows Duck Thru to offer alternate fueling options at this location to meet the needs of EV customers traveling through Eastern North Carolina. While this is the first EV Charger that has been installed, Duck Thru plans to continue providing these services to their customers in Eastern North Carolina and Southern Virginia.

In North Carolina, EV adoption is increasing rapidly. In January of 2023, the state reported 56,548 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles — up 48.6% from 38,064 January 2022. Jernigan Oil is working to address this demand with the installation of its newest ultrafast EV charger. The FreeWire Boost Charger 200 is an ultrafast charger that has an integrated lithium-ion battery pack with 160 kWh of total energy storage capacity and a Battery Management System (BMS). The charger has a maximum output of 200kWs, delivering approximately 200 miles in 15 minutes without putting additional strain on the community’s electric grid.

FreeWire’s ultrafast charger is able to provide fast charging to two EVs simultaneously by using an internal battery to increase the speed of charge instead of directly using grid power. A single EV can charge at 200kWs, or two EVs can charge simultaneously at 100kWs. This charger can charge all Level 3 compatible EVs, as well as Teslas with an adapter. Using the internal battery to increase the speed of the charge allows the Boost Charger to not pull directly from the grid. The design of the Boost Charger minimizes costs by up to 70% for power and can be deployed nearly anywhere without needing an upgraded grid connection while taking up minimal space in parking lots.

“We applaud the work that Duck Thru is doing to protect its electric grid infrastructure,” said Ethan Sprague, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Policy at FreeWire. “By using FreeWire’s battery-integrated charging technology, Duck Thru is able to provide ultrafast charging without putting additional strain on existing grid infrastructure.”

This project was co-funded by Jernigan Oil Company, Inc. and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Air Quality by utilizing the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Funding.

About Duck Thru Food Stores

Duck Thru Food Stores is owned by Jernigan Oil Company, Inc. based out of Ahoskie, NC. Duck Thru originated in 1983, while Jernigan Oil Company, Inc. is a fifth-generation family business that was founded in 1948. There are 56 Duck Thru locations in Eastern North Carolina and Southern Virginia. In addition to the Duck Thru Food Stores, Jernigan Oil Company, Inc. provides petroleum product transportation in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia through its Jernigan Oil Transport, Inc. subsidiary and services Eastern North Carolina and Virginia with local bobtail deliveries of all petroleum products including propane gas and Diesel Exhaust Fluid. For more information visit www.duckthru.com and www.jerniganoil.com.

About FreeWire Technologies

FreeWire Technologies was founded in 2014 and is an industry leader in ultrafast EV charging and energy management solutions solving grid infrastructure constraints and supporting the global transition to electric vehicles. FreeWire’s network of battery- integrated Boost Chargers™ transform the way energy is distributed and bridge the gap from legacy infrastructure to future technology. FreeWire products are used by Fortune 100 companies, commercial and utility customers, fleets, retail locations, and gas stations across North America and Europe. For more information visit https://freewiretech.com.

Press Contact:
Miles Harrell
(252)-332-2131 EXT: 2501
[email protected]