Until this past summer, drivers looking to charge their electric vehicles in Powell were out of luck.

But that changed with the opening of Charge N Brew, a coffee shop on Powell’s west end that offers the city’s first — and, at the moment, only — EV charging station.

Since bringing the charger online in August, just a handful of people have used it, said co-owner Joni Bennett. She’d expected more immediate usage, but “I guess it’s just kind of the rule of new business: Give it a year and word of mouth, and things will pick up,” Bennett said.

Given their association with alternative energy, just the mention of EVs can trigger strong opinions in fossil-fueled Wyoming. Some people have given Bennett grief about the charging station, but she notes that her ultimate aim is to attract travelers and bring more business to Powell.

“If these people bring their vehicles to Powell to charge, then there’s money that tourists can bring into Powell, too, that can help support our local people here in town,” she said, such as dining at a restaurant or shopping downtown.

There are signs that the word is starting to get out. A Tesla enthusiast from Arkansas stopped by for a charge in August after camping in the McCullough Peaks and last month, one of the still-rare Tesla Cybertrucks paid a visit (and turned some heads around town).

After an early September visit, one EV owner took to PlugShare.com to share their appreciation for Charge N Brew, noting there are “so few chargers of any kind anywhere else in this region.”

The J-1772 80-amp level 2 charger can juice up a vehicle in a fraction of the time of a standard wall plug. While the performance varies from vehicle to vehicle, the driver who checked in on PlugShare in September reported getting 40 miles worth of drive time per hour of charging on their Tesla Model Y.

Charge N Brew’s device is intended for visitors, as local EV owners generally recharge at home. There aren’t too many local owners, either, with only about 30 electric vehicles currently registered in Park County. But Bennett believes they’re becoming more common.

“Once you’re putting money into a business like this, you really start paying attention to, like, who has Teslas,” she said.

At the end of the day, the charger is an add on to the coffee shop. Along with a drive thru, the shop offers indoor seating and a bathroom.

The fare includes smoothies, coffees and other beverages, plus locally baked muffins, cinnamon rolls, cookies and more.

The coffee kiosk keeps extended hours: 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (7-5 on Sundays and Mondays), which Bennett said is intended to serve those heading to night shifts at Powell Valley Hospital. She said she also makes a point of offering discounts to first responders.

“Powell’s a good community,” Bennett said, “so if we can give back in certain little ways, that’s what I would like to do.”

Charge N Brew is located at the entrance of the Gateway West Business Park, on a small parcel of land that Bennett and her husband Zane purchased from the City of Powell in 2023.