IDAHO FALLS (Capital Sun of Idaho) While many other federally-funded EV charging initiatives have been placed on hold, Idaho Falls Power officials are making progress on new EV charging station construction thanks to expediting their project.
Falls in Idaho The first of four EV charging stations will open this fall, according to power authorities, who say they are on schedule to receive a shipment of EV charging equipment as early as this week.
Idaho Falls Power applied for a federal Charging and Fueling Infrastructure award Program corridor award in 2023, which provided the majority of the $3.75 million project’s funding.
When Idaho Falls Power officials learned they had been chosen for the award in early 2024, they got to work drafting the grant agreement, contracting out the project, and designing the charging stations.
In a phone interview on Tuesday, Idaho Falls Power Chief Financial Officer Josh Roos stated, “We wanted to get the agreement signed as soon as possible because we knew there could be a new (presidential) administration coming up at the end of the year. We were working as fast as we could to get through this.”
Idaho Falls Power put a lot of effort into signing an agreement for electric vehicle stations.
Time was saved and additional costs associated with land acquisition were avoided by developing the locations on city-owned property.
The new administration put a stop to everything once it was signed, and we were worried that we wouldn’t receive it, Roos said. However, because we were able to get an agreement signed in advance and ready to go, we were still able to proceed with our work with the Federal Highway Administration. Most recipients of grant assistance failed to sign their documents on time. We consider ourselves fortunate to be among the select few who can proceed with a project.
Since the state of Idaho has halted all work on a related but distinct program called the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, or NEVI program, which aimed to create a connected network of electric vehicle charging stations spaced every 50 miles of interstate highway, Idaho Falls Power is able to proceed with its project. In February, Federal Highway Administration authorities delayed certifying state plans and revoked all prior instructions for the NEVI program, prompting state officials to halt work on the program.
The Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act, which former President Joe Biden signed into law, provided funding for the Charging and Fuel Infrastructure Grant Program funds as well as the NEVI grants.
This fall, the first Idaho Falls Power EV charging station is expected to open close to Snake River.
The city of Idaho Falls in eastern Idaho is served by Idaho Falls Power, a municipally owned electric provider that operates hydropower plants.
According to Roos, Idaho Falls Power bears a cost share of $750,714, while the award offers somewhat more than $3 million for the charging stations.
The first charging station will be on Memorial Drive in Idaho Falls, close to the downtown area and the Snake River’s Idaho Falls River Walk. In the spring or summer of next year, Idaho Falls Power also intends to open three more EV charging stations on city-owned land. Sarah Wheeler, manager of external affairs for Idaho Falls Power, stated.
Reese Lawley, a U.S. Department of Energy research fellow who assisted with the Idaho Falls Power grant, stated that each of the four locations will have four fast-charging stalls and be situated within a mile of a major highway off-ramp.
According to Wheeler and Roos, the percentage of EV drivers in eastern Idaho is lower than in other regions and states, such as California, Oregon, or Washington. However, since Idaho Falls Power built charging stations outside of Idaho Falls City Hall and at its office, authorities claimed they had witnessed an increase in public interest and an increase in the number of EV and plug-in hybrid drivers.
The EV charging program also has an economic development component. Wheeler and Roos are aware of how crowded the U.S. Highway 20 and Interstate 15 corridors are with winter visitors swarming to neighboring ski resorts and summer visitors traveling to Yellowstone National Park.
Officials hope that more visitors who drive EVs and plug-in hybrids will stop in Idaho Falls to charge up, support local businesses, or take a beautiful walk along the Snake River while they wait. To that end, they have installed electric vehicle charging stations close to the downtown district and River Walk.
According to Wheeler, it’s quite amazing to see how they examined grant prospects, where development is occurring, and where additional resources should be allocated in order to take advantage of those opportunities. Even if not everyone drives an electric car, we still aim to serve city visitors as well as locals as a transit corridor.
