The new electric vehicle DC fast charging station will be installed in front of Island Park's City Hall.

Electric vehicles were available for test drives following an event Thursday promoting the new DC fast charging station to be built at Island Park's City Hall.

Matt Borud, marketing and innovation director for the Idaho Department of Commerce, speaks on behalf of Governor Brad Little at an event promoting electric vehicle fast charging stations in Island Park Thursday.

The new electric vehicle DC fast charging station will be installed in front of Island Park's City Hall.

Electric vehicles were available for test drives following an event Thursday promoting the new DC fast charging station to be built at Island Park's City Hall.

Matt Borud, marketing and innovation director for the Idaho Department of Commerce, speaks on behalf of Governor Brad Little at an event promoting electric vehicle fast charging stations in Island Park Thursday.

Representatives from multiple Western states gathered together Thursday in Island Park to celebrate the expansion of electric vehicle charging stations into rural communities throughout Idaho.

“We chose this spot specifically — Island Park — because the state of Idaho had their Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment program,” said Emily Her, a senior policy analyst at the Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources. “Through this program, we’re installing 12 DC fast charging stations across the state. One of them will be installed just … in front of the Island Park City Hall.”

Electric vehicle fast charging stations will also be installed at the Driggs Community Center and at the Falls River Rural Electric Cooperative headquarters in Ashton.

“Fast charging is … 15-20 minutes to fuel a battery from near-empty to full,” said Tammie Bostick, project lead for ChargeWest™ and the Executive Director of Utah Clean Cities. “... That changes things for electric car drivers.”

The project will benefit tourism and help strengthen the local economy.

“We’re really excited about it because it really unlocks the area for EV drivers, for people to be able to explore our state parks, our national parks, Yellowstone is right over there, (and) our scenic byways,” Her said. “(It’s) promoting interstate travel, tourism (and) economic development.”

The projected cost for the Island Park station with four charging ports is $349,696. The Driggs station will also feature four charging ports at a cost of $324,960. Ashton’s electric vehicle fast charging station will have two ports at a projected cost of $155,539. The funding for these 12 electric vehicle charging stations is coming from the Volkswagen Clean Air Act civil settlement, not tax dollars.

Matt Borud, Marketing and Innovation Administrator at the Idaho Department of Commerce, delivered remarks at the event on behalf of Governor Brad Little.

“In 2019, Governor Little proclaimed February 14th, not as Valentine’s Day, but as Electric Vehicle Day, stating that ‘electric vehicles are the future of transportation — both in Idaho and throughout the nation,’” Borud said. “That same year, Governor Little signed the Regional Electric Vehicle Plan for the West (REV West) MOU to commit Idaho to collaborate with Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming as EV charging infrastructure is developed along major transportation corridors in the West.”

The future of electric vehicles is here today, Borud said.

“Nearly every major automaker is planning fleets that will be largely — if not entirely — powered by electricity,” Borud said. “From 2020-2022, the number of EV registrations in Idaho increased by more than 140%. As EV sales continue to increase rapidly, infrastructure will be critical for Idaho to continue to welcome travelers to our state.”

The growing number of electric vehicles strengthens Idaho’s economy, Borud said.

“Idaho has the fourth largest share of clean power in the nation and the third cheapest residential energy rates. EVs powered by this Idaho-produced clean energy protect our health and create new, good-paying jobs,” Borud said. “For example, automakers are looking at Idaho’s cobalt belt as a primary source of cobalt for lithium-ion batteries. This will strengthen domestic supply chains, add more jobs and further cement Idaho’s role as a leading innovator of emerging technologies.”

The event was a collaboration between the states of Idaho, Wyoming and Montana to promote regional electric vehicle charging efforts.

The U.S. Congress's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law on November 15, 2021, will provide additional federal funding for electric vehicle charging stations in the future.

“It’s a really timely event that we’re having," Her said. "With the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program through the bipartisan infrastructure law, states had to submit plans to the FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) on how we were going to spend funds.”

Idaho will receive just under $30 million to install EV fast charging stations across the state, she said.

"We submitted our plans to the FHWA on how we’re going to spend these funds on August 1st," Her said. "Just yesterday, the FHWA announced that they approved 35 states’ plans… We should hear shortly that our plan was approved. So we have all this funding coming, and we’re here to celebrate EV charging.”

Building up electric vehicle charging infrastructure in transportation corridors will help make electric vehicles more appealing to local residents and travelers.

“We know that people in the West travel great distances,” said Bostick. “... I know about range anxiety, and it began with me with gas… That’s what we do, we drive in the West. So it’s exciting to look at us building up these corridors and focusing on gateway communities. This is a gateway community, so lots of people come to this area, and they drive their vehicles. Not all of them will be electric today and maybe even tomorrow, but it seems fair that we provide clean fueling and electric fueling for these folks that are investing and leading in electric cars and driving them.”

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