Cigar Lounge Adds EV Charging

In a move being seen more frequently among retail and hospitality businesses, the cigar lounge Puff the Magic (PTM), Hyannis, Mass., recently installed a Legrand Level 2 pedestal mounted electric vehicle (EV) charging station. According to a release from Syracuse, N.Y.-based Pass &Seymour/Legrand, PTM's customers as well as those from surrounding businesses will be entitled to use the EV charger.

Puff the Magic is Cape Cod's only indoor smoking facility and has been in business for 15 years. One of about half a dozen cigar bars in the state, PTM is a full-service tobacconist that offers a lounge that's fully licensed by the State and the town of Barnstable to serve alcoholic beverages.

David Wood, president of PTM and an electric car owner (he drives a Nissan Leaf), sees the charging station at his lounge as a better alternative than most municipal installations. “An electric vehicle owner needs to kill an hour or two while their car charges, and town halls and court houses are not the types of places that one can regularly spend a few hours a day. I felt that a cigar bar or a restaurant is a more practical place for charging a car. We decided to install an EV charging station and challenge our neighboring businesses to do the same.”

Wood's reason for selecting Legrand's Level 2 charging station was a combination of factors. “It was a question of functionality, ease of installation and aesthetics,” Wood says. “We needed an EV charging station that was compatible with all plug-in electric vehicles, was safe to use and own, could be sturdily mounted and would work reliably every time. Being in a business location, I wanted the EV charging station to have a unique and professional look and Legrand's EV charging station offered all of this and more, right down to the 24-foot coiled charging cord.”

There is a noticeable trend of smaller businesses installing EV charging stations. Kiran Laxman, product manager of electric vehicle supply equipment at Legrand/Pass &Seymour explains, “Initially, it was large commercial and residential sites that installed EV charging stations. This is changing rapidly. Businesses of all sizes are ensuring that they have charging facilities in place for customers who drive electric vehicles.”

PTM purchased its Legrand Level 2 Pedestal Mounted Electric Vehicle Charging Station from Granite City Electric's location in South Yarmouth, Mass. Installation was carried out by Bulldog Excavation whose owner, David Stocchetti, donated the site work.