Colorado Springs prepares for tens of thousands of electric cars (Denver: apartments, condos)

[Vision67]

https://gazette.com/news/colorado-sp...caf713046.html

"As electric vehicles are poised to give gas-powered cars more serious competition, Colorado Springs Utilities is evaluating whether to install and maintain electric vehicle charging stations that could go up across town at destinations such as libraries, universities, shopping centers and in parking garages.

Colorado Springs residents own about 2,300 electric vehicles and that number is projected to "explode" in the next two to three years, particularly as new residents move into the city from other areas such as California and Texas, said Khaled Salem, distributed energy strategies engineer supervisor with Utilities. Electric cars have also been falling in price nationally, and automakers are set to release many new fully electric SUV and truck models, including a Ford F-150 pickup expected to be released in 2022.

Colorado residents are projected to own between 90,000 and 130,000 electric vehicles by 2030, said Jillian Jaeger, who is managing the city's Electric Vehicle Readiness plan.

The goal is to see 940,000 electric vehicles on the road across the state by 2030 to help lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Utilities had been forecasting 50,000 to 300,000 electric vehicles hitting city roads over the next 30 years. Now that number is expected to be much higher, although the projections have not been finalized, said Michael Avanzi, manager of Energy Planning and Innovation for utilities.

The Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan that the city and Utilities are working on is expected to project the number of cars the city can expect over time, identify charging stations that are needed and where they should be put in among other aspects of the transition to electric cars.

Other utility companies are also preparing for the influx of electric car demand. Xcel Energy, one of the two-investor owned utilities in the state, is planning to invest $110 million in electric vehicle programs and infrastructure, such as charging stations.

More charging stations could help overcome one of the main concerns for electric vehicle buyers – range, said Michael Manning, general manager at Daniels Long Chevrolet. For example, the new Chevy Bolts have a range of 260 miles, which is plenty for running errands all day around town without stopping for a charge, he said. But drivers must be more conscious of available charging stations on longer road trips, and how the weight in the car and terrain might lower the total range, he said.

Colorado is behind other states, such as California, when it comes to widespread electric vehicle charging stations that could put drivers at ease, Manning said.

"I would like to see them at Walgreens, at Walmart," he said.

Wilson Hitchings, a Tesla Model S owner, said he generally charges his car at home overnight and relies mostly on Tesla's international network of Supercharger stations when he travels. The car doesn't require regular maintenance and has self-driving features -- it can back itself out of the garage.

"It's the best car I have ever had," Hitchings said.

Most electric car owners with access to an outlet at home in Colorado Springs won't need charging stations at shopping centers because their cars will likely have plenty of range, he said. But those living in apartments and condos could benefit from the chargers near their workplaces, he said.

The city also needs additional Level 3 chargers, which can quickly get travelers on their way, said Hitchings, a member of the stakeholder committee helping utilities prepare for electric cars.

Colorado Springs has about 100 public electric charging stations and most of them are provided by third-party vendors, Avanzi said. The city could need between 7,000 and 10,000 charging stations by 2030, Jaeger said.

"We anticipate that many residents will be able to charge their electric vehicles at home, but also want to be proactive in terms of providing public stations for travelers of longer distances or for those EV drivers that might not have a private charging option," she said in an email.

Utilities would like to build and maintain some of the new electric charging stations that the region will need in part because it would provide the electricity to those charging stations and it could manage them well, Salem said.

Because Utilities is owned by the city, the charging stations would pass along the cost of the service to the customer, which could be a market advantage, Avanzi said.

If the Utilities board, which is also the Colorado Springs City Council, approves, Utilities could start setting up new charging stations in the second half of next year, Salem said. "

[TCHP]

I could see numbers slowing climbing in COS, but not exploding. While these vehicles can be very commuter friendly and we do have an increasing population, electric vehicles lack the range necessary to support the outdoor centric lifestyle that is so widespread in CO. No one wants to go backpacking for a couple of days only to find their electric car is dead at the trailhead when they are ready to leave.

[coschristi]

Originally Posted by TCHP

I could see numbers slowing climbing in COS, but not exploding. While these vehicles can be very commuter friendly and we do have an increasing population, electric vehicles lack the range necessary to support the outdoor centric lifestyle that is so widespread in CO. No one wants to go backpacking for a couple of days only to find their electric car is dead at the trailhead when they are ready to leave.

Exactly! I don't leave my house to go to the grocery store. I leave my house to go hiking up high & I stop at the grocery store on my way home. Occasionally I hike "close", like at GOG but I don't actually drive into the loop; I access the trails from Pleasant Valley. The parking lots are too crammed with tourists, lol.

I've hiked at over 10,000 ft elevation all year long; it would drain an electric car to be climbing like that & then be left for hours if not overnight somewhere where there aren't even electricity poles. Heck, even in Cheyenne Canyon you go above reach of the wires once you pass Helen Hunt Falls. That's one of the benefits ... I don't leave to hike through the woods to have wires overhead.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by coschristi

Exactly! I don't leave my house to go to the grocery store. I leave my house to go hiking up high & I stop at the grocery store on my way home. Occasionally I hike "close", like at GOG but I don't actually drive into the loop; I access the trails from Pleasant Valley. The parking lots are too crammed with tourists, lol.

I've hiked at over 10,000 ft elevation all year long; it would drain an electric car to be climbing like that & then be left for hours if not overnight somewhere where there aren't even electricity poles. Heck, even in Cheyenne Canyon you go above reach of the wires once you pass Helen Hunt Falls. That's one of the benefits ... I don't leave to hike through the woods to have wires overhead.

Curious what mileage you are talking about? We drive our Tesla from Denver to Vail and back in the winter when range is most impacted by freezing temps.

We are a two car family and have an ICE SUV for more back country trips.

[Mike from back east]

"...Colorado Springs Utilities is evaluating whether to install and maintain electric vehicle charging stations..."

I think the issue is settled, BEVs are coming. Lots of them. There's no "whether" to consider.

Time to act is now so the city doesn't fall behind the arrival of BEVs and have to play catch up.

[otowi]

With a Tesla dealership coming here, there will definitely be more market for this.

[Brill]

I took a road trip to visit family last summer. 3,000 miles round trip. Filled up on gas 8 times. If I had to stop and charge my car 8 times, that adds another day of travel to my drive.

Electric can be nice for local commutes, but I'm not a fan for longer drives.

[LHS79]

Originally Posted by Brill

I took a road trip to visit family last summer. 3,000 miles round trip. Filled up on gas 8 times. If I had to stop and charge my car 8 times, that adds another day of travel to my drive.

Electric can be nice for local commutes, but I'm not a fan for longer drives.

Maybe more than a day: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ne-charge.html

[chairmanoftheboard]

Colorado Springs has some quite wealthy people. I guess they can do whatever they like. The EMF levels will create widespread disorder amongst the users. It will take a while for the EMF lawyers to collect evidence, but looks like they can start by suing the local Gov't.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by chairmanoftheboard

Colorado Springs has some quite wealthy people. I guess they can do whatever they like. The EMF levels will create widespread disorder amongst the users. It will take a while for the EMF lawyers to collect evidence, but looks like they can start by suing the local Gov't.

What is EMF and what is the "widespread disorder" it will cause "amongst the users"?