In 2018, AEA became the lead agency to administer the State of Alaska’s VW Environmental Mitigation Trust (Trust) to foster the growth of EVs. As a result, AEA formed the Alaska Electric Vehicle Working Group (AKEVWG), which adopted the EV Program Goal to reduce barriers to EV adoption.
The Trust funded 10 different types of mitigation actions designed to reduce NOx emissions and allowed up to 15 percent of the State’s allocation to be used on the installation, operations and maintenance of EV charging infrastructure (EVSE). AEA developed a plan to allocate the Trust funds amongst the various eligible projects through a public process. About one third of the respondents supported allocating the maximum 15 percent towards EVSE, which was about $1.25 million.
AEA continued consultation with the utilities and local municipalities and further stakeholder involvement through the AKEVWG to identify how the funds could be used to the benefit of EV owners as well as promote future EV adoption. Lack of EVSE, which created range anxiety, was identified as a significant impediment to EV adoption. Most daily activities require close range driving that can be provided for by charging at home or potentially “topping off” at Level 2 charging sites at destinations such as workplaces, shopping centers, restaurants, etc. But long range driving requires charging at locations other than home, and most conveniently by direct current fast chargers, which can charge a battery to 80 percent in 20-45 minutes, rather than Level 2 chargers, which can require several hours.
To address the lack of EV charging infrastructure and range anxiety, AEA committed almost $900,000 of VW Trust funds, supplemented with $90,000 of SEP funds, and established partnerships with site hosts to develop an EV fast-charging corridor from the Kenai Peninsula to Healy, with the deployment of 15 fast chargers and eight Level 2 chargers at nine charging stations located less than 100 miles from adjacent sites. This project is a significant milestone toward lessening range anxiety, and opens Alaska’s major transportation corridors to EV travel over significantly increased distances.
If you have questions about the EV Fast-Charging Network, please contact via email at electricvehicles@akenergyauthority.org.
Join our email list to stay up to date with Working Group meetings and receive our newsletters. To subscribe, click here and follow the subscription instructions. You will be sent an email requesting confirmation of your subscription.