The home of the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls has announced its plans to offer visitors free charging facilities as part of the centre’s mission to reduce its environmental impact.

The home of the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls has announced its plans to offer visitors free charging facilities as part of the centre’s mission to reduce its environmental impact.

The United Center has partnered with Volta Charging, the largest free electric car charging network in the US, and has signed a ten-year agreement to deploy EV charging stations around the stadium.

Joe Myra, the VP of Business Affairs of the United Center said: “With over 2.5 million visitors annually, we are excited to be partnering with Volta to bring its stations to our arena and provide visitors with a convenient and easy way to charge their vehicles”.

“Volta’s model aligns perfectly with our plan to work towards sustainability and enables our patrons to take a personal stake in a viable future”, he added.

The agreement comprises four open-access universal charging stations which will work under the innovative sponsor network model.

More specifically, the company installs free charging stations equipped with digital-hybrid displays with sponsor messages.

This means that the agreement between Volta Charging and its location partners does not entail any costs and that charging is free to the public.

Scott Mercer, CEO of Volta Charging said: “Volta is thrilled to become United Center’s free EV charging provider. These stations will channel sponsorships into a force for good and show millions of fans that Chicago is driving forward into its electric future”.

Volta Charging started off as a start-up convincing brands to pay for charging stations, place their ads and help them incorporate sustainable development into their core values.

The company had said: “Where Volta really stands out is offering brands the opportunity to do more than a simply put their name on something that delivers a ‘green’ message”.

“Volta advertisers are providing a real service to communities by powering drivers to a more sustainable future”.

To learn more about the innovative start-up click here.