Electric Vehicles

Preparing Alaska for Electric Vehicles

The transportation sector is increasingly transitioning to electric vehicles (EV). There are now more options for hybrid and full EVs than ever and with the recent appearance of the electric truck Alaskan’s will see more and more EVs sharing our roadways. EVs and their charging infrastructure have the ability to bring new industries to Alaska, helping to promote our economy and save Alaskan’s money. Much of the country is already in a rapid transition to EVs, however, many Alaskan’s have identified barriers to adoption such as range anxiety, unknown performance in cold climate, and costs that prevent them from confidently making an EV their next vehicle purchase. For this reason, the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA)​ has a mission to lead the effort to minimize barriers that inhibit EV adoption in Alaska.
 

Alaska Electric Vehicle Working Group:

AEA has dedicated funds from the State Energy Program (SEP) towards EVs. AEA hired SparkBox LLC to support and lead the Alaska Electric Vehicle Working Group. The Working Group meets quarterly to discuss EVs and charging infrastructure in Alaska. The Working Group has members from across the state including the Alaska Electric Vehicle Association, the Department of Transportation (DOT), electric utilities, EV owners, EV vendors, municipalities, prospective charging sites, site hosts, universities, and other stakeholders. SEP funds are also being used to install charging stations at state-owned facilities. AEA has partnered with DOT to secure site hosts and complete installations over two years.
 

Volkswagen Settlement:

Through a public process, AEA has dedicated $1.25 million from the Volkswagen Settlement to install Level 2 and Level 3 charging stations throughout the state. The current plan is to dedicate funding towards Level 3 chargers along the contiguous road system and Level 2 chargers in population centers. In order to capitalize on economies of scale AEA intends to have a single vendor install all of the charging stations. Learn more about VW Diesel Settlement Grants here.
 

Calculator:

Costs associated with installing a charging station differ depending on location, charger type, and utility rates. To make it easier for potential site hosts to estimate the costs, AEA developed a calculator that can be downloaded here.
 

Contact:

If you are interested in hosting an EV charging station, please contact Taylor Asher by email at tasher@akenergyauthority.org or by phone at (907) 771-3903 or Betsy McGregor by email at bmcgregor@akenergyauthority.org or by phone at (907) 771-3957.
 

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