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First Fast-Charging Station On West Coast Electric Highway: Work Starts

 
1,881 views Dec 29, 2011
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Dignitaries at Electric Highway charging station site in Bellingham, WA; photo: Washington State DoT

Dignitaries at Electric Highway charging station site in Bellingham, WA; photo: Washington State DoT

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While dreams of a "Hydrogen Highway" along the West Coast have languished, the states of Washington and Oregon are moving ahead on plans to make Interstate-5 the first "electric highway" in the nation.

Yesterday, a small ground-breaking ceremony took place in the Sehome Village Shopping Center in Bellingham, Washington, for the first of a network of DC fast-charging stations to be located along the West Coast Electric Highway running along I-5 through both states.

Together, Oregon and Washington intend to make it possible for electric-car drivers to recharge their battery packs every 40 to 60 miles at a network of DC fast-charging stations.

Those CHAdeMO charging stations can refill a typical electric-car lithium-ion battery pack to 80 percent of its capacity in less than an hour.

That's not as quick as filling up the gas tank, for sure, but it's enough to allow a Nissan Leaf or 2012 Mitsubishi 'i' driver to cover one or more 60-mile segments with stops in between for a bathroom break, food, and time to check e-mail or make phone calls.

At the groundbreaking, Bellingham mayor Dan Pike, local business leaders, and Washington State Department of Transportation officials posed for a photo on the site where the first AeroVironment DC fast charging station is to be built.

Banner for West Coast Electric Highway in Bellingham, WA; photo: Washington State DoT

Banner for West Coast Electric Highway in Bellingham, WA; photo: Washington State DoT

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The station will also offer Level 2 240-Volt charging for electric cars--including the Chevrolet Volt, Ford Focus Electric, and Fisker Karma--that do not offer CHAdeMO fast charging.

AeroVironment is working with state transportation departments in both Washington and Oregon to install chargers up to the California border, in what will be called America's First "Electric Highway". So far, California has lagged in fast-charging installations.

Among other reasons, Washington and Oregon hope to bring electric-car scenic tourism to states that have undeniably attractive natural wonders.

Ultimately, the plan is for a three-state West Coast Green Highway that will stretch along 1,350 miles from British Columbia, Canada, all the way down through California into Mexico.

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Comments (13)

  1. brg2290 avatar Gary Saling Posted: 12/29/2011 9:31am PST

    I'm excited to hear this news. The public access infrastructure has to started slowly, but this is encouraging. I'm curious who is the ultimate payee for this service (maybe state or utility company?). As a Washington state resident on the east side, rather than bemoaning my tax dollars going to another west side project, I'll just hope that a similar I-90 project will be in the future. You've heard of the acronym NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard)? Well, I'd like to see this type project as an IMBY...In My Back Yard!
     
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  2. fb_100002544459353 avatar Ramon Leigh Posted: 12/29/2011 10:24am PST

    What happened to the Level 3 charging technology supposedly approved by the electrical code orgs? Are we looking at another Betamax/VHS fiasco? CHADeMO is DC and uses the protocol of the JARI system of Tokyo Electric for upwards of 500V 125 amps.
    Now we hear that Tesla Model S does not support the CHADeMO
    technology, but uses a faster Supercharger available at locations
    installed by Tesla. This smart EV technology is starting to look
    pretty stupid over what should be elementary issues of charging protocols. This is not an impressive beginning for the EV age.
    Expect more (and justifiable) sarcasm from the gas powered segment over this issue.
     
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  3. john_v avatar John Voelcker Posted: 12/29/2011 11:55am PST

    @Ramon: Japan took the lead in developing a quick-charge standard (CHAdeMO), but the same SAE coalition that created the J-1772 protocol and plug & socket set for Level 2 240-Volt charging is now developing its own North American quick-charge standard:
    http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1059953_u-s-carmakers-to-japan-dont-need-your-stinkin-fast-charge
    which looks like this:
    http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1064972_this-monstrosity-will-be-your-next-electric-car-charging-plug
    On the plus side, however, it looks like a similar standard will be rolled out in Europe as well:
    http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1066595_european-carmakers-propose-single-electric-car-charging-plug
    [cont'd]
     
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  4. john_v avatar John Voelcker Posted: 12/29/2011 12:21pm PST

    [continued from above]
    The Tesla "supercharger" scheme, with its dedicated Tesla-only quick chargers, seems ... ummmm ... quite ambitious.

    The nice thing, however, is that it will be *relatively* easy to retrofit CHAdeMO stations with new couplers to provide SAE-spec quick-charging assuming it arrives at some point in the future. Not cost-free, but--given that much of the cost of a quick-charge station comes from laying the right kind of power line--hardly a deal-breaker.

    Beta/VHS? Not quite. And, frankly, I expect sarcasm and misinformation about electric car issues from some points on the reactionary spectrum whether or not there are facts, data, and any reality behind them or not.
     
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  5. fb_100000301945849 avatar Ladson Geddings Posted: 12/29/2011 12:48pm PST

    I see this as a utilities project subsided by fed money; California doesn't have funding for the project and it is after all an interstate highway. Also, seems to me the best locations would be gas stations where someone could look out for copper theves.
     
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  6. fb_100002544459353 avatar Ramon Leigh Posted: 12/29/2011 2:19pm PST

    Is level 2 charging at a non-motel setting some sort of bizarre joke? CHADeMo simply doesn't provide sufficient power and JARIS
    levels that rival Tesla's Supercharger apparently isn't coming here. Tesla is actually the only company that seems to understand what's required to provide a practical EV, one that isn't relegated to neighborhood and short commute transportation. I can just see the writeup by an EV-unfriendly journalist of his trip in a Leaf from LA to Seattle. Would be very reminiscent of a trip via horse drawn wagon circa 1880. Lots and lots of cups of Starbucks exquisitely bitter $5 rotgut coffee waiting for the half hour charge cycle to end and another 70 minutes of driving to begin.
     
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  7. fb_100001280320465 avatar Ev Now-now Posted: 12/31/2011 8:24pm PST

    Oh yes - "practical EVs" that cost $70k aren't all that practical for 99 Percent of people.
     
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  8. fb_54604718 avatar Dallas May Posted: 12/30/2011 5:08am PST

    Your FIRST Level III fast charger? Boring. Texas already has a couple of Dozen. ;-)
     
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  9. fb_538140052 avatar Chad Schwitters Posted: 12/30/2011 2:04pm PST

    Oh yeah?! Well, we here in Washington were supposed to have a couple of dozen a year ago. :-)

    It's nice to see them finally starting...
     
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  10. fb_1567249303 avatar Patrick Connor Posted: 12/30/2011 2:04pm PST

    Technically, the 1st DC Quick Charger for the West Coast Electric Highway was installed a month ago in Oregon. Photos here - http://goo.gl/1ilc1. But that is OK, it is all good press.
     
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  11. dkirtland avatar DAVID MANWELL Posted: 12/31/2011 6:29pm PST

    @Ladson: Yes, “gas” stations are likely to be the first place the usual driver would think of when needing to re-energize a car.
     
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  12. dkirtland avatar DAVID MANWELL Posted: 12/31/2011 7:51pm PST

    Given the Tesla’s range of 300 miles – even for the Model S – charging stations in motels, are, along with “gas” stations for occasional top-offs, good places, since 300 miles, at least gives you a day’s drive, instead of charging every hour or so (even for 30 minutes at a time). Those seem a little like stage coach travel might have been (“Hey! The Wells Fargo coach is ‘a’ comin’ into town!” “Heahhh!” Clipity-Clopity-Clop, “Gotta rest the horses.”, etc.).

    Motel recharging lets you combine your full 8 hour charge with a meal, a good night’s rest, followed by breakfast if you wish, and a solidly alert beginning to a relaxed next day’s leg.
     
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  13. dkirtland avatar DAVID MANWELL Posted: 12/31/2011 10:09pm PST

    (Continued from above:)

    Besides, it’s a draw to the equipped motel! The recharging’s energy can simply be added to the bill (or, of course, maybe even just be part of their package: one of the usual so-called “gratis”services of a “quality” lodging – one of the “extras” such a top quality place provides).
     
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