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CONTACT SCBJ Kurt Batdorf, Editor kbatdorf@scbj.com

Vehicle charging stations are coming to I-5, U.S. 2

By Kurt Batdorf
SCBJ Editor

Within six months, drivers will be able to recharge their plug-in electric vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and upcoming Ford Focus, along Washington's Electric Highways.

The state Department of Transportation selected Monrovia, Calif.-based AeroVironment to adapt I-5 and U.S. 2 for the new generation of electric cars.

The competitive contract award process had six companies submit proposals to electrify I-5 and U.S. 2 on a budget of $1 million.

AeroVironment will manufacture, supply, install and operate a network of nine fast-charging stations for electric vehicles. Stations will be located every 40 to 60 miles along stretches of I-5 between Everett and the Canadian border and between Olympia and the Oregon border, as well as along U.S. 2 between Everett and Leavenworth.

The fast chargers use direct current to recharge batteries to about 80 percent capacity in 20 to 30 minutes, said Tonia Buell, a spokeswoman with WSDOT.

“It's helpful for people traveling longer distances,” she said.

One charging station recently opened on U.S. 2 at Stevens Pass. It's a Level 2 unit, designed to recharge a battery pack in four to eight hours, Buell said. That station is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Charge America program.

“We're trying to focus on a new kind of tourist who has an electric car,” Buell said.

Level 2 chargers are the type most often found in home garages and workplaces where an electric car can be parked for a recharge of several hours.

“A network of charging stations linking Washington to Oregon and Canada will make electric vehicles more attractive to consumers and businesses, and transportation better for the environment,” said Paula Hammond, Washington secretary of transportation.

The fast-charging stations will be operational by Nov. 30. Each station also will include a Level 2 charging station, which will cost less for users because of the longer recharge time. Stations will be located at private retail locations such as shopping malls and travel centers with easy access to the highway.

In the area between Everett and Olympia, additional charging stations will be installed through the federal EV Project, administrated by the U.S. Department of Energy. Combined, the two projects will connect Washington drivers along the entire 276 miles of I-5 between Canada and Oregon.

For those who question the use of tax dollars for electric-vehicle charging stations, Buell says the project is structured as a public-private partnership in which costs are shared by the public sector, the private sector and users. Much of the funding is provided by the federal government as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“By building a basic network of charging infrastructure, more people and businesses in Washington will have the choice to buy and use electric vehicles,” she said. “Increasing the market demand for electric vehicles will help reduce the transportation sector's impact upon the environment and dependency on foreign oil.”

Initial funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy through the State Energy Program (SEP). The state Department of Commerce leads the program for the state. Buell explained that the Department of Commerce invests the federal SEP funding in projects that achieve energy and environmental policy goals.

Commerce is investing $1.32 million of SEP grants as seed funding and WSDOT is developing the partnerships to implement the Electric Highways network, Buell said. Project funding will be supplemented with contributions from private businesses, other public agencies and drivers of electric vehicles who will pay for the fast-charge services.

“As the leading hydroelectric power producer in the United States, Washington state is ideally suited to support emissions-free electric vehicles,” said Mike Bissonette, AeroVironment's senior vice president and general manager of efficient energy systems.

While AeroVironment creates the electric-vehicle charging network in Washington, the company will simultaneously electrify I-5 in Oregon through a similar project managed by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Both states' projects will complement The EV Project, which will install thousands of home and public electric-vehicle charging stations in six states, including Washington, Oregon and California.

Washington's electric-highway infrastructure is a key component of a future West Coast Green Highway. When complete, it will extend a seamless network of recharging stations along all 1,350 miles of I-5 from Canada to Mexico, serving more than 2 million electric vehicles that market analysts say will be sold in Washington, Oregon and California in the next decade.

Kurt Batdorf: 425-339-3102, kbatdorf@scbj.com.