| Innovative Partnerships Program |
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| Electric Vehicle Projects in Oregon |
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Electric vehicles growing in popularity
Electric vehicles are traveling Oregon roads more than ever before. The Oregon Department of Transportation has been involved in planning for their arrival and supports several projects around the state focused on electric vehicles (EVs) and EV infrastructure, including the following:
- The EV Project run by ECOtality aimed at supporting widespread adoption of the technology.
- EV fast charge stations in Southern Oregon, part of the West Coast Green Highway infrastructure building efforts.
- Tiger II Grant for EV infrastructure, funding EV fast charging stations in northwest Oregon along key corridors such as Oregon’s coast and interior.
These and future projects are helping Oregon create a sustainable transportation system by reducing the states’ reliance on imported petroleum and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Read U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood’s announcement about deploying EV stations in Oregon.
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| EV Corridor Connectivity Project Host Site Rankings |
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Our "TIGER II: Electric Vehicle Corridor Connectivity Project" may be coming to a location near you! Several sites have been identified as having the most potential to host the electric vehicle charging stations that the US Department of Transportation has provided funding for ODOT to install in at least 22 communities. Take a look:
ODOT's EV Corridor Connectivity Project: Potential Charging Station Communities (map)
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| Oregon's Electric Vehicle Charging Network |
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What is it?
Electric vehicle charging stations are locations where vehicles can plug in to an electrical source to re-charge batteries. EV charging stations are necessary to support what is expected to be a growing fleet of EVs throughout Oregon. In fact, every vehicle manufacturer has announced plans to release plug-in vehicles, and many of them are arriving in Oregon daily.
Why is this important?
Petroleum-based transportation is not sustainable in the long run, either environmentally or economically. Our dependency on imported fossil fuels, impacts of global climate change and the introduction of new carbon emission standards have created an urgency to find alternative solutions.
Currently, the biggest limitation for drivers considering EVs is the absence of a reliable network of charging facilities to increase the range of these vehicles and alleviate fears of “running out of juice.” Even so, by 2020, plug-in cars could account for as much as 20 percent of new vehicles sold in Oregon. That’s why EV charging stations are appearing in key locations around the state.
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| Transportation Electrification |
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Oregon is key participant in EV pilot
The U.S. Department of Energy announced in 2009 that Oregon was selected as one of seven test markets for the largest deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and the associated charging infrastructure in history. ECOtality (formerly eTec of Phoenix), will receive $130 million in federal stimulus funds to study electric vehicle usage in six states and Washington, D.C. The goal of the project is to deploy EV charging stations and analyze the use of the stations and the behavior of EV drivers to guide widespread adoption throughout the country.
ECOtality is partnering with Nissan North America to deploy approximately 1,000 Nissan electric cars (called the “Leaf”) in Oregon and as many as 2,500 charging stations to be installed at homes and businesses that choose to purchase the Leaf and participate in the program. The grant will focus on the Portland, Eugene, Salem and Corvallis areas.
Nissan’s EVs began deployment in 2010 and charging infrastructure installations will occur throughout 2011 and beyond. The Nissan EV is available at local Nissan dealerships.
Pacific Power and Portland General Electric are partners with ODOT. They offer helpful information to customers about EVs.
Deployment Guidelines
ODOT led a cooperative effort between ECOtality and the Oregon Advisory Team, whose membership represents a number of regulatory agencies, utilities and jurisdictions within The EV Project area. The resulting Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Deployment Guidelines should answer most of the questions about the deployment and provide helpful information to streamline project implementation in the coming months.
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| For more information |
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Art James, Project Director
Oregon Innovative Partnerships Program
Oregon Department of Transportation
355 Capitol St. NE, Room 115
Salem, OR 97301-3871
Phone: (503) 986-3858
E-mail: art.james@odot.state.or.us
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