SALT LAKE CITY — A project to power up 1,500 miles of interstate in Utah and three other states with a network of electric vehicle charging stations beat out competitors like Denver, Seattle and Portland and is being touted as a model for the rest of the country.
The WestSmart EV Project was jump-started with $4 million in seed money from the U.S. Department of Energy, secured by Rocky Mountain Power, to help ease range anxiety for electric vehicle owners and provide would-be purchasers with an incentive to make the transition.
"It's truly a phenomenal achievement," said James Campbell, legislative policy adviser with Rocky Mountain Power, noting that a major transformation is playing out in car ownership, such as alternative fuels vehicles, zero-emissions vehicles and self-driving cars.
Campbell was among several speakers Wednesday at a press conference at the state Capitol, where details of the electric vehicle project were outlined as part of an overarching initiative to cut air pollution and boost transportation options.
"We can't really move economic development forward in our state like we want to without addressing air quality," said Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara.
Snow and Senate Majority Whip Stuart Adams, R-Layton, co-sponsored expansive legislation called the Sustainable Transportation and Energy Plan during the 2016 session, which enabled the utility company to have the flexibility to invest in initiatives like boosting electric vehicle infrastructure.
The project will roll out over several years and includes the Governor's Office of Energy Development, the Idaho National Laboratory, the Utah State University Center for Sustainable Electrified Transportation, the University of Utah and Utah Clean Cities Coalition.
Grant money will pay for direct current "fast chargers" every 100 miles along I-15, I-80, I-70 and I-84 corridors in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, and alternating current level two chargers in every major community in the region, according to Rocky Mountain Power officials.
"The battle to improve air quality has to be fought on multiple fronts," said Alan Matheson, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Beyond the 30 new rules passed by the state Air Quality Board and additional investments by industry, Matheson said a key component to tackling pollution starts at the tail pipe.
"This is a great opportunity," to address vehicles' contributions to fine particulate pollution, he said.
Laura Nelson, Gov. Gary Herbert's energy policy adviser and head of the Utah Office of Energy Development, said the state over the last couple of years has been aggressively pursuing avenues to cut tailpipe emissions.
"We have an energy policy that emphasizes alternative transportation," she said, a policy that she noted is backed by the innovation of multiple collaborative partners.
Nelson said Utah State University's Center for Sustainable Electrified Transportation is piloting a project involving roadways that "charge" vehicles via sparks as they travel,
Utah, she added, is No. 1 in the country per capita for compressed natural gas charging stations and ranks sixth per capita for the adoption of electric vehicles.
Clean air advocates, however, feel the move to electric vehicles in Utah may hit a U-turn with the scheduled expiration of a $1,500 state tax credit for electric vehicle purchases.
After the press conference, Adams said he knows his colleagues have the political will to extend the credit with legislation this upcoming session.
"We definitely have the political will," he said. "It is a question of if we have the money. It's simply a budgetary issue."
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