||| FROM BRUCE BENTON |||
When two grants were announced a year ago, I began working with the Island Rides Board and the Port of Orcas Commissioners to submit requests to strengthen electrification of transportation on OI. One was for an EV Carshare program for people who live in OPAL Community Land Trust homes and the other for the expansion of the EV charging infrastructure around OI. Both grants have now been awarded.
OPAL Green Carshare Project: Washington’s Department of Transportation awarded Island Rides a grant for $188,551 for a pilot EV Carshare Project for people living in apartments, townhomes or houses provided by OPAL, comprising 200 households. Preparation for this Carshare Project is well underway. Four charging stations have been installed – two at OPAL’s Office /Reddick Apartments and two at April’s Grove. The two carshare vehicles have been purchased – two 2023 Chevy Bolts.
Participation in the Carshare Project will be free of charge for OPAL renters and homeowners during the first year. OPAL residents wishing to participate in the project may apply beginning May 1, 2024. Further information on the Project will be provided to OPAL residents shortly. Carshare operations are expected to begin as a pilot project during May/June 2024, and, if successful, is expected to expand in coming years.
EV Charger Project: Washington’s Department of Commerce’s Clean Energy Fund has awarded to the Port of Orcas $395,499 for the installation of 35 level II charging stations around Orcas Island, covering all of the major residential areas – Eastsound, Deer Harbor, West Sound, Orcas Village, West Beach, Olga, and Doe Bay. Islanders will have free access to these charging stations. There is the possibility of adding additional level II charging stations as project implementation unfolds.
Those who transition to EVs will save approximately $3000 per year in fuel and maintenance costs. It is expected that expansion of the free charging network will lead to a 40% rate of EV adoption on OI annually over the next five years, which, in turn, will reduce CO2 emissions on the Island by 30%. These environmental benefits will improve air quality and reduce ocean acidification of the surrounding Salish Sea, which is devastating the shellfish industry, a major Washington export, and threatening other local marine life.
A new Fast-Charging Station to be installed under the EV Charger Project at the Orcas Airport will open up important transportation electrification opportunities, notably: 1) commercial EV van deliveries of incoming airport freight around OI; 2) establishment of an EV shuttle to transport Islanders and tourists from the ferry landing to frequented OI destinations; and 3) the advent of short-haul battery-powered electric airplanes expected to come into operation in 2027.
These two new grants have the promise of greatly improving transportation affordability and the local environment on Orcas Island. Project implementation will take place over the next two years. We look forward to wide community support to realize their success. There will be further information on these projects provided at the Earth Day celebration events on April 20.
For further information on these grants, contact:
- Bruce Benton, EV Projects Director, brucebenton40@gmail.com
- Mia Kartiganer, Carshare Coordinator and Port Commissioner Project Liaison,
miamsk@gmail.com
So inspiring. Thank you, Bruce. I know you worked extremely hard to make this happen.
Thanks Bruce
Bruce has worked extremely hard to accomplish these goals, and the Port of Orcas is to be commended for being forward-looking toward electric-powered aviation.
Kudos to Bruce, Mia and Kim for their efforts in this direction.
Is the Port paying for ANY of the electricial fuel for these vehicles?
No
Nice work, Bruce. You have invested much of your time in this and the results show.
About half of county GHG pollution comes from transportation. San Juan County has the highest number of EVs in the state, per capita. This added charging infrastructure should help visitors feel more comfortable coming here in an EV. Visitor driving pollution is about one-third of the county’s transportation pollution mix. The second third is diesel ferries, and the third is local drivers.
The charging station at the Port of Orcas has no card payment device. Therefore, public funds are being spent for private automobile fuel.
Owning an electric vehicle does not include free fuel.
A simple fix of a card reader would render this fuel station legal..
That charging station has nothing to do with the grants covered in this article. It is supported by EV driver donations, The fast-charging station to be installed at the Airport under the EV Charger grant will be credit card enabled. All cost for the electricity for fast charging will be covered by the EV owner/driver.
The current level II charging station at the airport that is supported by driver donations is certainly not “illegal.” There are no level II charging stations on Orcas Island that take credit card payment, for good reason. Credit-card enabled level II charging stations are expensive to purchase and install, and they break down frequently making them extremely expensive to maintain. Furthermore, no one would use them because there are a number of level II charging stations currently on the Island that are free. The donation-supported Level II charging station at the airport makes perfect sense, under the circumstances.
That charging station has nothing to do with the grants covered in this article. It is supported by EV driver donations, The fast-charging station to be installed at the Airport under the EV Charger grant will be credit card enabled. All cost for the electricity for fast charging will be covered by the EV owner/driver.
Continued public funding of a private individual via providing fuel for a vehicle is not legal. A donation structure, without complete accountablity to the power expense is simply wrong. E vehicles are very cool, I understand that, My only objection here is that the Port of Orcas, in it’s zeal to promote E vehicles, may not use public tax dollors to pay for private vehicle fuel.
Just fix this, how hard could it me to install a card reader and just be done with it?
All of these stations will have card readers, Why would a private business provide free fuel to vehicles? To be certain, they won’t. And niether should the Port.
Nearly all site-hosts participating in the Project are local businesses. They oppose requiring payment to charge. They want to attract EV customers who will plug in, stay longer, and buy more. Or they are hotels/Inns that find they have a competitive advantage by offering free charging. No charging station financed under these projects will have card readers. Site-hosts don’t want them. That would undercut their business advantage in offering free charging. They also are aware that if they installed a charging station with a card reader, no one would use it. Finally, site-hosts are ineligible to receive grant support under the EV Charger Project if they require payment for charging.
Nice work Bruce. Thank you for the leadership.
Bruce. Would you please explain the EV donation and Grants programs. Are these government grants? If so, then it’s tax payer dollars providing the funds. Is it individuals that donate some other way and only pay what they happen to “feel” like at the moment.? And you mentioned businesses paying to keep customers for a longer period. Do only certain businesses pay? I haven’t heard of any particular program for this.
And if businesses pay to attract more customers, why aren’t there gas pumps all over the place?
The ev donations Bruce talks about are placed in a box next to this charger. There is no accounting done to provide any transparency related to these funds. The Port of Orcas blends these “fuel” dollars in with other donations. No way to see the cost to the tax payers.
No card readers for those businesses who would like to have a charger available for their customers? A business providing fee fuel? Really?
Wishfull thinking at best but businesses have self distructed before with dreams of “competitive advantage” which are simply not there. But hey, if a business really thinks they can do this and stay alive OK. Just not with any public money.
Trust me when I say, like many, I’m all for alternative energy, including in the area of transportation. But, worth noting is that one of the downsides to this new and exciting industry, (and only one of them mind you), are the predictable problems relative to the amount of electricity that will be needed to serve all of the coming charging stations, and our ability to produce it. I hope that in our wisdom to overcome one problem we don’t end up causing another.
It feels a bit funny to put e-cars in the context as being as exciting new industry, when in fact, Ecars were being produced as early as 1832–
https://www.energy.gov/timeline-history-electric-car#:~:text=Vehicle%20Is%20Developed-,1832,an%20English%20inventor%20in%201884.
These projects have been fully coordinated with OPALCO throughout the planning phase and OPALCO has confirmed that it can meet the electricity demand once all of the planned charging stations become operational. OPALCO support for the EV Charger Project was a condition for the grant approval by the WS Department of Commerce’s Clean Energy Fund.
My questions were partly answered by Gary Abood but I still haven’t received a complete explanation from Mr Benton. So there are boxes next to the charging stations and users ‘voluntarily’ put in something? Is that correct so there is no actual accounting of users paying for the actual use?
But it’s OK because the money to pay for this entire system comes from the Clean Energy Fund?
Oh, well then that’s supposed to be Ok because that’s FREE MONEY! What kind of fool believes that! It’s nothing more than another government scam where we, the tax payers, pay for the entire thing and every individual’s EV charging.
When do they start doing the same thing for gasoline cars?