Pennsylvania news outlet The Sentinel reports on the growing trend of electric vehicles in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and the importance of expanding EV charging infrastructure to support the transition to clean energy. The article quotes United's Nick Bibby who states that utility companies must be proactive in upgrading their grid distribution infrastructure to meet the rising demand.
Erin Markan used to own the farthest thing from an electric car.
When she and her husband, Denis, needed to pull their fifth-wheel RV, she drove a Ford F-350 pickup truck with two full rows of seats and a diesel engine.
But when the Markans sold that RV in late 2022, suddenly the massive pickup was unnecessary. The truck was merely a “tool” for the RV, Markan said, so when her needs changed to short trips, she bought a fully electric Chevrolet Bolt.
“When I had the 350 I felt so guilty just driving my kids from here to the high school,” she said.
Her Bolt, purchased in January 2023, was among 1.4 million plug-in or fully electric vehicles sold in the U.S. last year, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. Major automakers are rolling out more EVs, and the Biden administration has set a goal of 500,000 public charging ports in the U.S. by 2030.
Charged up
Charging stations are key to the EV revolution in the same way gas stations have been necessary to support cars with internal combustion engines.
Markan’s Bolt estimates it can go between 217 and 312 miles on a full charge, depending on things like outside temperature and whether the air conditioner is running.
The car is perfect for commutes, grocery shopping, day trips to places like Harrisburg, Shippensburg and Gettysburg and taking her two boys where they need to be, she said. But for longer trips, the Markans take their minivan.
Cumberland County has about a few dozen public charging locations, according to an interactive map from the federal government’s Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.
Most are concentrated on the West Shore, while Carlisle has a dozen. Six are in the borough, while others are just outside at places like the two Sheetz locations on Route 11 and the Giant on Walnut Bottom Road.
Pennsylvania has 1,936 public charging stations holding 4,886 ports, according to the government’s map as of Thursday. The U.S. has about 71,000 stations with nearly 190,000 ports.
“We want to make sure that people don’t have range anxiety when they’re driving an electric vehicle,” said Nick Bibby, who manages legislative and regulatory engagement in Pennsylvania and Maryland for Advanced Energy United.
The trade association, which includes EV charger companies, advocates on behalf of its members for policies that would transition America’s economy to 100% clean energy. Bibby promotes those policies in Harrisburg and Annapolis.
“We want to make sure that they’re deploying their solutions here in Pennsylvania and make sure it’s as easy to access an EV charging station as it is a gas station,” he said.
EV pros and charging woes
Carlisle House, a bed and breakfast on South Hanover Street, installed the borough’s first EV charger 10 years ago. Today is has two: a generic one and one for Teslas.
Owner Carolyn Carlisle says that not only can the chargers be deciding factors for prospective lodgers, but some even learn of the B&B from EV charger websites. On average, the chargers are used every other day by guests.
As public chargers popped up in the borough over the years, Carlisle said she thought they would diminish her business, but the opposite happened as she saw EV adoption in the area tick up, especially in the last year.
“I think there’s just more EVs,” she said. “I think people are buying more electric, going more electric.”
The price of electric vehicles is still a barrier to EVs going mainstream, however. The gap in the price of an average EV versus the average gas vehicle was 42% earlier this year, according to data from auto information company Edmunds.
The sticker price on Markan’s Bolt was just over $30,000, but a $7,500 federal EV tax credit softened the blow. Pennsylvania also has smaller rebates.
Another thing keeping costs down is EVs’ cheaper upkeep. Markan estimates she’s already saved thousands of dollars in fuel and maintenance costs over the 15,000 miles she’s put on her Bolt.
Fully electric vehicles don’t have engines, which means no oil changes or spark plug replacements. It’s also cheaper to use electricity than to buy gas.
Despite doing nearly all her charging of her Bolt at home, Markan said the difference in her electric bill from this January to July compared to the same period in 2022 was $141.
“It’s absolutely feasible” to own an EV in Carlisle, she said. “I’ve not had one issue.”
The type of charger makes a difference, however. Level 1 chargers plug into wall outlets and charge slowly. Level 2 chargers charge faster and are common for public stations, workplaces and homes (like Markan’s).
Level 3 charges, officially called direct current fast chargers, are much faster. They’re common along highways and can fill 80% of an EV’s battery in 20 minutes to an hour, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
All of Carlisle’s 12 public charging stations have Level 2 chargers, except for the two Sheetz on Route 11, which are Level 3.
It takes Level 2 chargers between four and 10 hours to charge an EV 80%, according to the transportation department.
The future of EV charging
The Biden administration’s push to build out America’s public EV charging network was announced in 2022 at $5 billion over five years.
But the key to sustainable growth in EV ownership and charging lies on the power grid, Bibby said. The number of chargers should “explode” as more people buy EVs, which means utility companies must be proactive in upgrading their grid distribution infrastructure, he said.
If the grid can’t keep up with electrification, Bibby warned, there will be “not only a backlog of costly grid upgrades that will get ultimately passed on to the ratepayer, but then we’re also going to see a lack of charging infrastructure for people who have bought EVs.”
Markan, in the meantime, is doubling down on her EV purchase. Her experience with the Bolt convinced her to soon replace the family’s other car, a minivan, with a large plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Its smaller electric battery will be able to power commutes and short trips while the gas engine can eliminate range anxiety on long trips.
But until then – and especially until Level 3 chargers become more common – the Bolt stays home on vacation.
“If we’re going to Canada, we’re taking the minivan probably,” she said.
Read the full article here.