In a joint Kenai / Soldotna chamber luncheon on Wednesday, the Homer Electric Association (HEA) offered an introduction to electric vehicles, charging stations, and available tax credits for those who use them.
Bruce Shelley, Director of Member Relations for HEA, offered advocacy for what he claims to be the future of the automobile: vehicles being powered by electricity. He compared the trajectory of the public adopting electric cars to the path that cellular phones took, from their introduction in the early-’80s, to their near-100% saturation in 2020.
To fuel this growth in Alaska, Mr. Shelley made multiple references to a proposal to construct charging stations along Alaska’s highway system utilizing around $1 million in funds coming from the resolution of a lawsuit the EPA took against Volkswagen after their emissions violations from 2009 through 2016.
As he describes, driving electric vehicles offers some challenges in the Alaska weather, but also offers benefits, once infrastructure exists for charging: “There’s no hesitation when you step on the gas pedal, it takes off. They are amazing. It’s a small car but it handles well in this winter weather. Yes, cold does bother it a little bit, but only because you have to use so many amenities in the car to keep yourself warm. Every bit of energy comes from that battery. So, during the summer time, you’re going to get about four miles for every Kilowatt hour. (kWh) In the winter time, it dips down to about 2 – 2.5 miles per kWh. It’s because you’re running those lights, we’rein the dark a lot more, the wipers have to be on because of the snow and the rain, and just trying to keep yourself warm in the cabin.”
Most of Mr. Shelley’s comments were driven by HEA’s own personal experience with the Chevrolet Volt they own and use: “Our Chevy Volt is actually saving us pretty much every month in cost for fuel, for energy. It’s based against a 23-mile-per-gallon vehicle, which is not scientific, but we’re still showing savings each month. Gas prices vary quite a bit, where our energy rates – whether they are high here on the peninsula – do not vary a lot over the last ten years.”
There are no public charging stations in Kenai, but Shelley said that HEA will be installing one at its office by the end of March. Soldotna currently has two public charging stations, one at Whistle Hill and one outside of River City Books. As more stations are added, websites like PlugShare offer the public to find the nearest place to charge an electric vehicle.