PORT TOWNSEND — Three agencies are applying for a grant to establish a network of electric car charging stations for visitors traveling from outside Jefferson County to Olympic National Park.
The Port of Port Townsend, Jefferson County Public Utility District and Local 20/20 are applying for a $250,000 grant from the Clean Cities National Park Initiative, a department of the U.S. Department of Energy, to establish the electric car charging network.
The proposal is to install publicly-accessible Level 3 chargers, which can charge a vehicle fully in about 90 minutes, in Port Townsend, Discovery Bay, Sequim, Port Angeles and at the park’s entrance.
The network of high-speed chargers for electric cars would enhance tourism and encourage people to come to the area, said Jim Pivarnik, port deputy director.
“A lot of people who have electric cars can’t really get to the Olympic Peninsula,” Pivarnik said Thursday after the port commissioners voted to apply for the grant on Wednesday.
“We’d like to improve these opportunities and encourage people who own these vehicles to come here, spending their time and their money,” Pivarnik said.
Many electric vehicles have a range of 60 miles, so anyone taking an out-of-town trip needs to determine that chargers are available at their destination, Pivarnik said.
The charging network would assure owners of electric vehicles that enough juice would be available to allow them to travel to and from the park.
The grant submission is due in May. A funding decision would be expected by the end of the year.
In Port Townsend the chargers would be located outside the port’s office building at 2790 Washington St., where a transformer that can support three Level 3 chargers is already in use, Pivarnik said.
“It’s a great location because people love to walk through the boat yard,” Pivarnik said.
“It’s also right near a bus stop so they can go downtown and shop while the car is charging.”
He said the best charging locations are in proximity to other services so people have something to do during the process.
The port would charge for charging, Pivarnik said.
Pivarnik said that it would take about two days to install chargers at the port office because the infrastructure is already in place.
Locations without available power such as Discovery Bay would take longer to get online, he said.
A future possibility is to work with the Port of Port Angeles and the Port of Grays Harbor to allow electric vehicle owners to safely navigate the entire North Olympic Peninsula loop, Pivarnik said.
According to Andy Cochrane, co-owner of Power Trip Energy in Port Townsend, the town has six free charging stations: Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St.; Port Townsend Laundromat and Car Wash, 2115 W. Sims Way; Windermere, 1220 Water St.; John L. Scott, 2219 W. Sims Way; Synergy Station, 1531 W. Sims Way; and Power Trip Energy, 83 Denny Ave.
These units are Level 2 and take about four hours to fully charge a vehicle, Cochrane said, adding that many use the chargers to “top off” their power supply.
As a way to draw interest in the technology, Cochrane installed the chargers for free as long as the business owners agreed to supply the electricity to all comers.
John L. Scott Managing Broker John Hansen, who drives a Chevy Volt gas-electric hybrid, welcomes users but asks they check in with the office before charging.
Wright Away Delivery owner Damian Wright uses a Nissan Leaf for his food delivery service but chose to lease instead of purchase.
“The technology is changing so it didn’t make sense to buy at this point,” he said.
“I wanted to support the new technology, which decreases our dependence on fossil fuels.”
Wright said the installation of more chargers would be a step in the right direction.
“We need to provide the infrastructure in places where people can use it,” he said.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
