Washington State's I-5 to Become Charging Corridor For EV's

Proposed Washington DOT Charging Sign

Just recently, Washington State governor, Chris Gregoire announced that the I-5, which runs from the Canadian border to the Oregon state line would be ‘electrified.’

Naturally, this process will be made available with more government monies, this time from a federal grant of 1.32 million, to be allocated out by the state Transportation Department.

The plan is to have the 275 mile stretch of road to have enough charging stations so that electric cars can traverse its length. So how many charging stations is that? Is it based on a 100 mile LEAF, a 80 mile i-MiEV, or even a 40 mile (electric range) Volt.

The answer is 7 to 10 charging stations throughout the corridor. However the WSDOT says that the maximum range between stations would be 80 miles, so it looks like if you own a Volt you will be in for a little good old fashion petrol burning.

Also of interest (and quite handy if you happen to be in need of a quick charge) is that these will be level III chargers…meaning you can get a complete fill in your LEAF in under 30 mins. (about 15 mins in a i-MiEV)

It is still unclear if the cost of the project will come completely out of the grant, or will be connected to the EV Project, a larger 230 million dollar pie that will set up 2,500 charging stations (mostly level II) in the Seattle area.

Like a more conventional gas station the state will be charging for the electricity ‘pumped,’ but declined to comment on pricing at this time.

Tonia Buell, communications manager for WSDOT’s public/private partnerships, summed up the need for the project as follows, “We want people to buy electric vehicles with the confidence that they can take longer trips than just around the community and to different cities.”

The governor also said of few ‘governor-ie things’ too, (be careful to not fall asleep if you choose to read it), “Washington state is a leader in creating green jobs, adopting new clean technologies and we are poised to do it again with electric vehicles. Providing the nation’s first true electrified highway (I-5) will benefit Washingtonians and show the rest of the country how we can use innovative partnerships to solve some of our most difficult challenges like climate change and our dependence on oil.”

This 275 mile stretch is to be converted starting this fall, and be the first leg of the West Coast Green Highway in service. When/if completed the WCGH would run 1,350 miles from Baja California to British Columbia.

Source: Nissan-Leaf.net