“I have a charging station at home and now one here at work,” Phillips said. “One of the things this has done is get a lot of my friends and co-workers to ask me about my car and how it works.

“I look at it as an opportunity to educate people about renewable energy and what a great thing it is for all of us.”

Cherokee National Principal Chief Bill John Baker made it clear that the project is aimed at promoting a “green” environment for generations to come.

The Cherokees have embraced recent initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and promote environmentally friendly projects.

“When Chief Baker appointed me two years ago to this Cabinet-level position, it was with the intention of spreading these initatives,” Hill said. “Our mission is to work on these sort of issues, and Chief Baker has made it a priority.

“We are working on a strategy of how to bring these charging stations all over our 14-county area in northeast Oklahoma. We would like to see the day when people could travel throughout the Cherokee Nation and have charging stations available.

“Northeastern Oklahoma is our home and will always be home. We want our home to thrive, and this is one way to preserve what we have.”