Rocky Mountain Power, a utility company that services areas throughout the West, has been awarded a Department of Energy grant to create an electric vehicle charging corridor throughout Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah.
The grant will allow for the development of charging stations over 1,500 miles along I-15, I-80, I-70 and I-84. The grant will also develop innovative smart mobility programs to encourage electric car-sharing, and advance the use of electric bikes and buses to create an emission-free community experience.
The grant’s target is to double the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in the region to more than 50,000 cars in the next 10 years. This would result in the annual reduction of 251 million pounds of CO2 emissions and 24.9 million gallons of gasoline.
Project partners include the Utah Office of Energy Development, University of Utah, Utah State University, Salt Lake City, Utah Clean Cities Coalition, Breathe Utah, Idaho National Laboratory and others. “We look forward to accelerating our EV infrastructure to support our growing needs along the Wasatch Front, as well as to provide access to Utah’s Mighty Five National Parks, and other unrivaled recreation destinations,” Dr. Laura Nelson, Utah Governor’s energy advisor and executive director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Development said in a statement on the grant award.
The grant was made possible because of the Sustainable Transportation and Energy Plan (STEP). The Utah Public Service Commission approved the plan in December to provide $2 million in funding each year to provide incentives for EV charging stations. The incentives are part of a larger 5-year pilot program authorized by the Utah legislature last March for the Sustainable Transportation and Energy Plan Act or STEP.
The corridor will include DC fast chargers for electric vehicles (EVs) every 100 miles and AC level 2 chargers in every major community in the region. Funds will also be provided for residential and commercial EV charger rebates, education about EVs and grant-based projects and partnerships.
Image source: Rocky Mountain Power
