On Saturday, September 16th hundreds of Idahoans gathered for a free car show at Idaho Power’s headquarters in downtown Boise to highlight the clean-air benefits, cost-savings and fun of EVs for the seventh annual National Drive Electric Week. Electric vehicle owners and dealerships showed off their vehicles and answered questions for those who were curious to learn more about the benefits of EVs.
“Anyone who is in the market for a new vehicle should check out the wide range of options available today. EV drivers realize significant savings from reduced maintenance and fuel costs and reduce their environmental impact”, said Zack Waterman of the Sierra Club.
A recent Forbes report suggests that electric vehicle growth in the new car sales market is projected to reach between 70-75% of total annual sales in 2050. Cars are not the only form of all electric transportation that is gaining in popularity throughout Boise and across the nation. As part of the event this year's event, two local companies (George's Cycles and NF Scooters) joined the crowds to show off their electric bicycles and scooters.
“More and more folks are buying electric bikes to use for commuting around town. Much like electric cars, e-bikes are part of the future”, said Frank Leon of George’s Cycles.
National Drive Electric Week 2017 comes as Idaho officials will be making investment choices about the roughly $17 million the state will receive from the Volkswagen(VW) settlement funds. The funds are intended to mitigate the impacts of air pollution from VW diesel vehicles, and it can be spent on a variety of transportation projects, including electric charging infrastructure and EVs.
Idaho Power, Treasure Valley Clean Cities Coalition and Idaho Chapter Sierra Club would like to see the funds used for investments in EV fast charging infrastructure along Idaho’s major transportation corridors. Studies have shown that financial subsidies given to infrastructure investments will increase EV sales by more than twice the amount of the increase if the financial incentive is provided for EV purchases.
Idaho Power has done significant work with stakeholders and partners to identify priority locations for the development of a statewide fast charging infrastructure, with charging stations located every 50 miles along major interstate cooridors and a tiered structure for first investments. Their efforts are laid out in a DC Fast Charging Proposed Locations Map.
Boise’s National Drive Electric Week gathering was one of more than 250 events that took place across the country where EV owners and their neighbors can gather to celebrate and learn about the benefits of transportation electrification. An interesting note is that Lyft was an official sponsor of National Drive Electric Week this year, the company supports electric vehicles and has committed to providing 1,000,000,000 electric car rides annually by 2025.
