Electric Vehicles

SALT LAKE CITY — Electric vehicles are becoming a more common sight throughout Salt Lake City.

A survey ranks the capital as the best city in America to own an EV. However, there are challenges to more people adopting EV cars.

North SLC resident Benjamin Jacobs says for more people to choose electric, we need more chargers.

He’s only been driving his Chevy Volt for a month, but it’s already saving him a ton of money. He says one of the biggest downsides to driving EV is range anxiety.

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Making sure there are enough charging stations across Utah will help alleviate this common problem.

Rocky Mountain Power recently filed its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan with the Utah Public Service Commission, which includes a $50 million investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure for Utahns across the state.
James Campbell, the Director of Innovation and Sustainability for Rocky Mountain Power says surveys show the two biggest barriers to adopting EV are the cost of the vehicle and infrastructure.

Their goal is to provide fast chargers across the state so drivers feel confident they can get anywhere they need to go.

“What we’re seeing right now on the cost side is the EV prices are starting to come own, you’re seeing advances in the batteries, so the biggest barrier is going to be, do we have enough charging infrastructure to support all that,” said Rocky Mountain Power director of Innovation and Sustainability James Campbell.

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Rocky Mountain Power plans to install 100 of these extreme fast chargers across 20-25 locations. Electricity is much cheaper than gas, at about 1 dollar equivalent per gallon.

“We’re going to deploy extreme fast chargers throughout the entire state,” said Rocky Mountain Power director of Innovation and Sustainability James Campbell. “Historically, we had chargers that would take about 40 minutes of charging to get 100 miles. Now, we’re installing chargers that are three to five times faster, which means you could get those 100 miles in about 10 minutes.”
Most of those new locations will be along the Wasatch front, with the rest in rural areas.

Over the past five years, Rocky Mountain Power has facilitated the installation of more than 70 DC fast chargers in Utah, completing an electric highway corridor along I-15. Additionally, more than 2,300 Level 2 chargers were installed as part of a workplace charging program.
Rocky Mountain Power plans to start construction on these new fast chargers next year, after they get approval from the public service commission.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A network of electric vehicle charging stations planned for the Midwest is about to get larger. Alliant Energy of Iowa has agreed to join Ameren and eight other electric utilities in building the stations across 11 states.

The utilities are working on building a vast network of charging stations by the end of 2022. This will allow owners of electric vehicles to feel confident driving any distance without worrying about running out of battery power. Upon completion, electric vehicle drivers would be able to travel from Wisconsin to Texas and points in between with plenty of places to recharge along the way.

There are now two million electric vehicles on US roads. Ameren expects there to be nearly 19 million EVs on US roads by 2030. To meet the demand 9.6 million public charging stations will be needed. There are only about 100,000 stations are in service today.

There are now more than 100 public chargers in the St. Louis area. Charging stations are also available to purchase for homes. Use websites like Plugshare.com and OpenChargeMap.org to find a charger near you.

SEATTLE, Sept. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MI Elements Inc., a products company dedicated to implementing H2 Energy technology in the state of Washington, has just received patent-pending status on its hydrogen refueling and electric vehicle recharging station design. The H2 Go Station, which will be designed to refuel hydrogen vehicles, is currently in the prototype stage. Benefits of the projected model include fuel-from-water technology, off-grid capability, and sustainable renewable energy storage and distribution. 

The MI Elements team aims to develop a product that will take solar and wind energy and store it in the form of hydrogen in tanks. This will provide MI Elements with the ability to power houses to go off-grid and allow their customers to recharge electric vehicles or refuel hydrogen vehicles. 

“Having recently received patent-pending status on the design, our team can officially say we are ready to show the world what we have been working on,” said James Dow, CEO of MI Elements. “The MI Elements Energy System will allow for the mass deployment of hydrogen vehicle refueling infrastructure by incorporating a design with a smaller footprint and a more cost-effective alternative to the large refueling stations currently being constructed.” 

MI Elements Inc. is dedicated to implementing our H2 Energy technology in the state of Washington. We are currently building homes that are powered with sustainable energy coupled with our fuel-from-water technology. 

For more information, please visit www.mielements.com and follow @mi.elements on Instagram.

About MI Elements Inc

MI Elements Inc is a products company that is owned by DCS Built LLC. MI Elements Inc is owned by the existing employees of DCS Built LLC and is a corporation structure based in Nevada. We are working on building a 3,500-sq.-foot custom home with solar panels and windmills that will generate the electricity for the home. We are under construction on this house and we have renderings of the home with the energy system on our website www.mielements.com.

Contact Information

info@mielements.com

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Image 1: H2 Go Commercial Refueling StateMI Elements H2 Energy EV and FCEV Station Image 2: MI Home 1050 Prototype MI Home Powered By Sustainable Renewable Energy Image 3: MI Home 3500 Prototype MI Home Powered By Sustainable Renewable Energy Image 4: MI Home 3500 Prototype MI Home Powered By Sustainable Renewable Energy

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New York, Sept. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report “North America Plug-in Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles Aftermarket Growth Opportunities” – https://www.reportlinker.com/p06153222/?utm_source=GNW

As passenger vehicle electrification progresses, aftermarket participants increasingly agree that the entire value chain’s revenue and profit pools will shrink due to the burgeoning plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)/battery electric vehicle (BEV) footprint in the overall light vehicle parc. Against this backdrop, Frost & Sullivan identifies business models and component categories expected to emerge as new demand pockets for incumbents and new entrants in the North American automotive aftermarket.
Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06153222/?utm_source=GNW

About Reportlinker
ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need – instantly, in one place.

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Tesla charging stations at the Big Y on South Main Street in Great Barrington. The town is installing similar stations at two downtown locations. Photo: Terry Cowgill

GREAT BARRINGTON — After a public outcry, a divided selectboard voted last night to impose a user-fee on electric-vehicle charging stations slated to be installed at two downtown locations.

The subject generated controversy earlier this month when taxpayers and at least one selectboard member wondered why Great Barrington should be offering “free electricity,” as one citizen put it, to downtown visitors.

So Town Manager Mark Pruhenski and his staff went back to the drawing board to perform research and determine the ins-and-outs of how a payment system might work.

Click here to view the executive summary that Town Planner and Assistant Town Manager Chris Rembold presented to the board at its regular Monday meeting. One point omitted from the summary is that there would be a two-hour limit to vehicle charges, or typically enough to drive an EV not much more than 40-50 miles. Depending on the size of the EV’s battery and other factors, most EVs take eight hours to fully charge.

See video below of last night’s Great Barrington Selectboard meeting. Fast forward to 14:00 to view the discussion on the EV charging stations:

Both stations will be so-called Level 2 stations capable of charging two vehicles at a time. The first to be installed will be in the Taconic parking lot. It will be located in the portion of the parking lot immediately to the left of the entrance driveway that travels downhill from upper Railroad Street.

The idea behind offering free charging is that it will attract people to downtown and that EV owners will patronize local businesses while their cars are charging. In addition, the stations will make a statement that Great Barrington is environmentally conscious and supportive of low-carbon alternative energy sources that are climate-change-friendly.

“Some areas don’t charge [for the electricity] because they feel that it is something that brings people into the area,” Rembold explained. “This is common. It’s an amenity to customers. We’d hope that customers come in and plug in their cars, walk around town and use the services and support the stores.”

The Taconic lot, which is adjacent to Rubiner’s and Carr Hardware, will soon get a redo that includes repaving and drainage work. The lot directly between the Barrington House and the Triplex is privately owned and not part of the project.

A similar station will be installed behind Town Hall. The exact location and a schedule for the work have yet to be announced. First-term selectboard member Garfield Reed reiterated his opposition to free charges for EV owners, insisting that, “It’s a bad business proposal” and that, “We can’t gamble with other people’s money.”

“People have come to me asking me that we not do this,” Reed said. “I also think it’s a bad idea. Tesla chargers at Big Y are not free. If Tesla can charge, so can Great Barrington.”

Selectboard member Leigh Davis, who endorsed Reed’s candidacy when he ran for the board earlier this year, said she was conflicted. She liked the message free charging would send on climate change but was concerned about the expense to the town.

“Listening to the citizens, I think we owe it to them to at least cover the costs,” Davis said.

Rembold, who did not make a recommendation but merely provided research to the board, said the stations, which retail for about $25,000 apiece, would cost approximately 75 cents to $1.10 per hour of electricity drawn at current rates. He said the stations can come equipped with credit card machines and that billing could be based on the amount of electricity drawn or on the duration of the plug-in. All current models of EVs could receive a charge at the stations.

“It’s really scalable in terms of how this is set up,” Rembold continued. “Some are set up on a subscription system so that folks can just use their credit card and the Town’s not really involved at all.”

Selectboard member Eric Gabriel, an electrician by training, said he viewed free charging as “helping advance new technology,” so he had no problem with letting those passing through town fuel-up their EVs free of charge.

“Its an incentive because sooner or later we’re all going to be driving an electric car,” Gabriel said. “I see it as a greener option promoting a healthier environment.”

“Anyone driving an electric car can afford a couple of bucks,” added board member Ed Abrahams. “Either way, I will support it. I agree with Eric. It’s a new technology, a green technology. We’ll all have the benefit of not breathing the exhaust from those using it.”

Sharon Gregory, a former chair of the town Finance Committee who also served on the Great Barrington Parking Committee, said she was troubled that the stations would eliminate parking spots in a town whose parking problems are already legendary.

“I find it a bit ludicrous that we would take two more parking spots for this good two-shoe idea when we have so many places — The Co-op, Big Y — where people can stop and refuel,” Gregory said.

EV charging stations are quite common, including in Berkshire County. As Reed noted, there are several charging stations at the Big Y supermarkets on South Main Street and on Route 102 in Lee but they only charge Tesla vehicles.

There are two charging stations at Lenox Town Hall, and there are several in Pittsfield and Williamstown. There are also charging stations at the service area on the MassPike. Many of the ports offer free charges. Gabriel said he also found some charging stations in Agawam that bill by the kilowatt hour.

In the end, the board voted 3-2 to charge visitors for charging, as it were. That will surely satisfy town residents Charlie Williamson and Jim Bailly, both of whom complained about EV owners receiving free fuel courtesy of the taxpayers, many of whom are not even wealthy enough to buy an electric car for themselves.

American tax credits for electric vehicles are, to put it kindly, hot garbage. They don’t apply at the point of sale, they phase out once an automaker moves too many units, and they rely on the buyer having a pretty hefty tax bill to apply the credit to.

House Democrats have tried to address some of these faults with a new, improved EV tax incentive. The proposed bill gives buyers a bigger discount, incentivizes the use of union labor to build cars, and gets rid of that 200,000 unit cutoff. What’s not to like?

According to conservative Democrats in the Senate, the bill would just help too darn many people get into EVs. So they want to lower the income cap that determines who’s eligible for the credit. That’s called means testing, and it’s being suggested as a way to reduce the cost of the credit by reducing the number of people who are eligible for it.

The version of the EV credit proposed in the House caps discounts at an annual income of $400,000 ($800,000 for buyers who jointly file their taxes with a significant other). Moderate Senators have discussed dropping that cap down to just $100,000 per year.

On the surface, one can see how this would make sense. Reducing the cost of things is generally good, handing money to Scrooge McDuck is bad. The broad strokes, in a vacuum, seem to work out.

Unfortunately, we don’t live in a vacuum. We live on a rapidly boiling planet, one shared between Ebeneezers and Tiny Tims. Getting more people out of combustion engines and into electric vehicles is good, regardless of what percent of their income goes towards their next car purchase.

House Democrats have already rejected one attempt to means-test the EV tax credit. When the call for restriction is coming from inside the party, however, it’s unclear if progressives can hold their ground.

By TOM KRISHER and BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press

GLENDALE, Ky. (AP) — Ford and a partner company say they plan to build three major electric-vehicle battery factories and an auto assembly plant by 2025 — a dramatic investment in the future of EV technology that will create an estimated 10,800 jobs and shift the automaker’s future manufacturing footprint toward the South.

The factories, to be built on sites in Kentucky and Tennessee, will make batteries for the next generation of Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles that will be produced in North America. Combined, they mark the single largest manufacturing investment the 118-year-old company has ever made and are among the largest factory outlays in the world.

Notably, the new factories will provide a vast new supply of jobs that will likely pay solid wages. Most of the new jobs will be full time, with a relatively small percentage having temporary status to fill in for vacations and absent workers.

Together with its battery partner, SK Innovation of South Korea, Ford says it will spend $5.6 billion in rural Stanton, Tennessee, where it will build a factory to produce electric F-Series pickups. A joint venture called BlueOvalSK will construct a battery factory on the same site near Memphis, plus twin battery plants in Glendale, Kentucky, near Louisville. Ford estimated the Kentucky investment at $5.8 billion and that the company’s share of the total would be $7 billion.

With the new spending, Ford is making a significant bet on a future that envisions most drivers eventually making the shift to battery power from internal combustion engines, which have powered vehicles in the United States for more than a century. Should that transition run into disruptions or delays, the gamble could hit the company’s bottom line. Ford predicts 40% to 50% of its U.S. sales will be electric by 2030. For now, only about 1% of vehicles on America’s roads are powered by electricity.

In an interview Monday, CEO Jim Farley said it would be up to the workers at the new plants to decide whether to be represented by the United Auto Workers union. That question could set up an epic battle with union leaders, who want employees of the future to join the union and earn top UAW production wages of around $32 per hour. It represents a high-stakes test for the UAW, which will need jobs for thousands of members who will lose work in the transition away engines and transmissions for petroleum-powered vehicles.

Ford’s move also could put the company at odds with President Joe Biden’s quest to create “good-paying union jobs” in a new, greener economy.

Farley said it’s too early to talk about pay or unionization at the new factories. He stressed that Ford will maintain a geographic manufacturing balance when the company’s investments in Ohio and Michigan are included. Ford and General Motors have UAW-represented plants in Kentucky and Tennessee, states where it is common for political leaders to actively campaign against unionization.

“We love our UAW partners,” Farley said. “They’ve been incredible on this journey of electrification so far. But it’s up to the employees to decide.”

Just four months ago, Ford said it would build two new battery plants in North America. But Farley said demand for the electric Mustang Mach E SUV and over 150,000 orders for the F-150 electric pickup convinced the company to increase battery output.

Farley said Ford intends to lead the world in electric vehicles, a title now held by upstart Tesla Inc., which is adding jobs at a third factory now under construction near Austin, Texas.

Ford picked the Kentucky and Tennessee sites in part because of lower electricity costs, Farley said, as well being less exposed to flooding and hurricanes than other states. Battery factories use five times the electricity of a typical assembly plant to make cells and assemble them into packs, so energy costs were a big factor, Farley said.

The company also needed huge tracts of land for the plants that weren’t available in other states, Farley said.

Both Southern states also have skilled labor forces and are willing to train workers for the new jobs, he said.

“These jobs are very different than the jobs we’ve had in the past,” Farley said. “We want to work with states who are really excited about doing that training and giving you access to that low energy cost.”

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which serves the Memphis-area site, sells industrial electricity at a price that’s lower than 93% of competitors nationwide, said CEO Jeff Lyash. Rates have stayed flat for the past decade and are planned to stay flat for the next 10 years, he said.

Combined, the three new battery plants will be able to supply enough batteries to power 1 million vehicles per year, about 129 gigawatts of power, Ford Chief Operating Officer Lisa Drake said.

Shares of Ford Motor Co., which is based in Dearborn, Michigan, rose more than 4% in extended trading after the new factories were announced late Monday.

Reaction from the union was tempered Monday, with officials seemingly optimistic about organizing the factories.