DRIGGS, Idaho — An electric utility in Idaho is set to install five Level 3 electric car charging stations along two major scenic roads in the area. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2023.
The utility, Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative (FRREC), aims to help grow a fast-charging electric vehicle (EV) network along key corridors in the Intermountain West.
In mid-September, FRREC leaders joined state officials from Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming to launch the “West Electric Highway” through eight western states, which also include the Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.
They dubbed this EV corridor collective “ChargeWest”.
In October, the FRREC Board of Directors voted to accept $884,942 in grants from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to install the chargers in three different locations across the country. State.
Chargers will be placed at Ashton, Island Park and Driggs along the Teton Scenic Byway. The three sites are located near major highways.
“We see a lot of vacationers coming to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and they’re going through our service territory to get there,” said Clint Washburn, the FRREC human resources manager who applied for the grants. on behalf of Fall River.
“We have a lot of out-of-state members who own cabins in our territory and the level 1 chargers they have in those cabins can’t charge enough overnight for them to get to Yellowstone on next day,” Washburn said.
Motorists will be able to recharge an EV battery to 80% in about 20 minutes with fast chargers. Drivers will pay a per-minute price to hook up to Fall River REC chargers, which are expected to be in place by the end of next summer.
