Drivers Now Have Quick-Charge Coverage From Washington To California

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

Anyone recently wanting to drive their electric vehicle from Washington to California may have been adding a few extra days to their travel to ensure enough time to charge their cars up to full capacity. However, five new quick-charge stations installed along the interstate system now give EV drivers the opportunity to charge up in 30 minutes or less.

West Coast Electric Highway
West Coast Electric Highway
Image Source: West Coast Green Highway

These new quick-charge stations complete the Oregon portion of the West Coast Electric Highway with five new locations:

  • Southeast Portland Burgeville
  • Woodburn Elmer’s Restaurant
  • Clackamas Town Center
  • Wilsonville Town Center
  • Shari’s Restaurant in Keizer

The West Coat Electric Highway connects British Columbia to Baja, California along the I-5 corridor. When fully completed, the Highway will span 1,300 miles and have public quick-charge stations every 25 to 60 miles.

These five latest charging stations added to the Highway were installed as part of a pilot program led by Portland General Electric (PGE) in an effort to complete the Highway in Oregon, and used Blink DC Fast Chargers manufactured by ECOtality.

Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!

“Through the EV Highway pilot, PGE is working with our customers along the interstates who want to host charging stations and charging station manufacturers that want to install them,” said Kurt Miller, PGE’s director of business model and program development. “These two new stations close the gap between quick-charge stations along the interstate system making the West Coast Green Highway a reality in Oregon.”

Level 2 public charging station – Custer I-5, exit 269 – Southbound Custer Safety Rest Area. (Image Source: Washington State Dept of Transportation)

“We are very excited to be partnering with PGE in completing this stretch of the I-5 corridor,” said Amy Hillman, ECOtality area manager. “Completing this project is yet another step forward boosting drivers’ range confidence and enabling them to use their EV as their primary vehicle, while providing them with the benefits of fast charging that more closely reflects their lifestyle.”

The charging stations along the Highway are located at places where you can also grab a cup of coffee, shop, or even grab a meal before continuing on your journey.

[showhide type=”pressrelease”]

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland International Auto Show visitors who want to purchase an electric vehicle now have access to one of the most expansive networks of public quick-charging stations in the country — from the Washington border to the California border — thanks to the addition of five new quick-charge stations along the interstate system where EVs can charge up in 30 minutes or less.

The newest quick-charge stations complete the Oregon portion of the West Coast Electric Highway with new locations at a Southeast Portland Burgerville, Woodburn Elmer’s restaurant, Clackamas Town Center, Wilsonville Town Center, and Shari’s Restaurant in Keizer.

The West Coast Electric Highway is a tri-state initiative to advance EV adoption along the I-5 corridor from British Columbia to Baja, Calif., through an extensive network of quick-charge stations. When complete, it will span 1,300 miles with public quick-charge stations every 25-60 miles.

The newest quick-charge stations were installed as part of a pilot led by Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) to facilitate completing the West Coast Electric Highway in Oregon.

“Through the EV Highway pilot, PGE is working with our customers along the interstates who want to host charging stations and charging station manufacturers that want to install them,” said Kurt Miller, PGE’s director of business model and program development. “These new stations close the gap between quick-charge stations along the interstate system making the West Coast Green Highway a reality in Oregon.”

The PGE-hosted charging stations are Blink® DC Fast Chargers manufactured by ECOtality (NASDAQ: ECTY) and the first for the PGE pilot which runs through December 2013.

“We are very excited to be partnering with PGE in completing this stretch of the I-5 corridor,” said Amy Hillman, ECOtality area manager. “Completing this project is yet another step forward boosting drivers’ range confidence and enabling them to use their EV as their primary vehicle, while providing them with the benefits of fast charging that more closely reflects their lifestyle.”

Oregon now boasts more than 40 public quick-charge stations and more than 600 level 1 (8-12 hour charge) and level 2 (4-8 hour charge) public charging stations. The Portland metro area is ranked No. 1 in the United States in electric vehicle charging stations per capita by plugshare.com.
Portland General Electric at Portland International Auto Show: PGE is a proud sponsor of the Portland International Auto Show ECO Center, where visitors can learn more about the benefits and excitement of owning an electric vehicle.

About Portland General Electric: Portland General Electric, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is a fully integrated electric utility that serves approximately 829,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon. Visit our website at PortlandGeneral.com.

[/showhide]


Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest CleanTechnica TV Video


Advertisement
 
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.

Joshua S Hill

I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

Joshua S Hill has 4403 posts and counting. See all posts by Joshua S Hill