Are you driving an electric vehicle yet? Yeah, me neither. But within a couple decades, we all could be. At least that’s what the Northwest Power and Conservation Council suggests, according to the Spokesman-Review– that 25 percent of passenger vehicles in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana could be electric by 2035. In preparation, area power company Avista Corp. will start installing 272 charging connections in region workplaces, homes and public areas this month.
Currently, about 350-400 of Avista’s Washington customers own electric vehicles or electric-gas hybrids. Even so, Avista will install 120 charging stations in homes over a two-year period. Another 80 charging systems will be installed in workplaces and public areas.
If you own an electric vehicle, you can apply to have a charging station installed at your home for no cost. Plugging an electric vehicle into a 110-volt outlet provides about 5 miles of driving distance per hour of charging, compared to about 25 miles per hour of charging with an AC Level 2 charging system.
The ideal candidate for the program is an electric car owner whose employer also is willing to have a workplace charger installed.