Port of Hoodsport considers hosting electric vehicle charging stations

Kirk Boxleitner | Oct 21, 20210

Port of Hoodsport commissioners heard about the transportation electrification movement when Tonia Buell of the state Department of Transportation gave a briefing on grant money for installing electric vehicle charging stations.

Buell, who addressed the port during the commissioners’ Oct. 13 meeting on Zoom, said the Electrify America organization was created as a result of the Volkswagen Clean Air Act Civil Settlement of 2017. Buell said $2 billion is going to Electrify America, with $800 million required to be invested in California, with the remaining $1.2 billion for the remainder of the nation.

The money is for installing charging infrastructure, “mostly along highway corridors,” according to Buell, with a minimum of four direct current fast-charging stations per location.

Buell said DOT has applied for Pacific Northwest infrastructure investments on the grounds that “it’s smart to invest in our state, as one of the top three states in the nation for electric vehicle adoption.” State agencies including DOT and the departments of Ecology and Commerce work with private companies and the federal government to ensure they’re working “in synergy, and not duplicating our efforts.”

Those efforts include progress toward a zero-emission vehicle mapping and forecasting tool so utilities and ports can determine how much electric vehicle infrastructure is needed in their areas.

California and Oregon have made progress toward installing electric vehicle charging stations every 50 miles along U.S. Highway 101, which Buell aims to see continued through Washington along Interstates 5 and 90.

DOT has sought funding “for a while,” turning to agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration, and has seen the installation of Electrified America charging stations in Olympia and Port Angeles, Buell said. She acknowledged the 119 miles separating the two cities.

“From Electrified America’s perspective, that’s close enough,” Buell said, “but from the state’s perspective, we want to see a lot more than that.”

Buell outlined the grants available to government agencies and nonprofits that join with the private sector to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including DC fast-charging stations. Priority will be given to locations “where people are going to want to stop,” with onsite or nearby amenities ranging from restrooms to beverages.

“It’s an economic development opportunity, to get people to stop in your community as they’re traveling around the Olympic Peninsula,” Buell said.

Charging stations also need to meet technical specifications such as three-phase power supplies, and safe and easy access on and off the station site. Buell said fast-charging stations can refuel electric vehicles to 80% in 30 to 45 minutes.

“The stations we’ll support, and provide matching funds for, are fast-chargers where you can pull over, charge up and get back on the road,” Buell said. “It seems like Hoodsport would be a good location for that, depending on your community’s interest and potential host sites.”

According to Buell, DOT has “about $8 million” for highway corridor charging, and its goal is not so much to fund individual sites as to find partners who can help them electrify their portions of highway corridors, with U.S. Highway 101 identified as “a priority corridor.”

“The portion of 101 where Hoodsport is?” Buell said. “That’s an area we’re very interested in.”

Buell estimated that DC fast-chargers run about $100,000 apiece, with a minimum of four per location.

“In our last round of grants, (DOT) only had $1 million, but with public-private partnerships we were able to get $1.5 million in matching funds, for a total of $2.5 million, for 15 communities to get charging stations,” Buell said. “The state Legislature provided this funding to incentivize the private sector to make these investments.”

Port Commissioner Terry Brazil asked about stations’ standardized charging requirements and Buell said three major standards exist, with the first two — CHAdeMO for Japanese automakers and the Combined Charging System or “combo” for American and European automakers — approved through the Society of Automotive Engineers, or SAE International. The third is carmaker Tesla’s proprietary system, for which Tesla owners are supplied adapters for their chargers to connect to CHAdeMO.

“The original West Coast electric highway was installed in 2012, with 50-kilowatt CHAdeMO chargers, because that was all there was back then,” Buell said. “The industry standard is moving to higher power charging stations of up to 350 kilowatts. Those cost a lot more. You can charge your car faster, but you need more power. As it stands, there isn’t enough charging out there for the pent-up demand to come.”

Buell recommended that the Port of Hoodsport and other communities interested in electric vehicle charging stations put together proposals and assemble prospective partners now so that when funding opportunities appear, perhaps as early as next year, they’re ready.

Port Commissioner Lori Kincannon pointed out that, “as a very small port, our businesses would in no way be able to come up with those matching funds,” so she asked whether Buell could supply a list of organizations that could contribute matching money.

“We’re definitely interested,” Kincannon said. “Hoodsport is a great place to put this, but we have very limited budgets.”