EV Roundup: New Vehicles and Charging Stations

Electric vehicles (EVs) are still being introduced throughout the US. But more EVs means more charging and more innvative ways to accomodate the electric changes. Check out the new installs and the vehicles arriving in fleet facilities below. 

Colorado County Installs New EV Charging Stations

Jefferson County, Colorado, is installing EV charging stations at popular county parks. Some of the stations will also provide additional charging for county vehicles.

The county will also collect data and demonstrate early results on improving air quality, reducing transportation emissions, increasing adoption of electric vehicles across Colorado, and creating fuel cost savings for county operations.

Funding, done through the Colorado Energy Office, will support the installation of five Level-2, dual-port EV charging stations on property owned by Jefferson County. Two charging stations will be installed for public access at popular county-managed parks, and three will be installed for internal fleet use on county property in Lakewood.

The project is part of the county’s Climate Action Plan, which was approved last year by the Board of County Commissioners. Jefferson County is procuring and contracting for the charging equipment and installation services with an estimated completion date later this summer. The five charging stations are in addition to two that are located at the Jefferson County Administration and Courts Facility in Golden.

Michigan City Partners with GM for EV Charging

The city of Sterling Heights, Michigan is partnering General Motors to install 17 EV charging stations at public spaces throughout the city, according to ClickOnDetriot.com. 

The charging stations, produced by FLO, are expected to be up to 2.7 times faster than a typical level two charging station and will feature two ports for simultaneous charging. The city will provide the land while GM Dealers will underwrite the cost of the charging stations.

Michigan is ranked 17th in total charging stations by state in the U.S, according to Evadoption.

Sterling Heights has unveiled an EV master plan with initiatives that include initiating EV use, preparing for increased EV use on on roadways, and allocating more time and resources to EV infrastructure.The plan was developed over several months and funded by roughly $6,000 from the city and a grant of roughly $29,000 from Southeast Michigan Water Infrastructure Planning Guide's Planning Assistance Program for Transportation Equity and Sustainable Infrastructure.

“Off the Grid” Electric Vehicles at the Army Birthday Festival

During an Army Birthday Festival, to celebrate the Army’s 248th birthday on June 14, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment showed how the Army is tackling climate change and promoting energy resilience by hosting a "microgrid" demonstration to simulate a contingency-based, carbon-free energy environment.

The microgrid powered key festival attractions and displays, taking them completely off the grid. In addition, festival attendees were able to get up-close and personal with the Army’s latest non-tactical electric vehicles.

The Army is pursuing its goals of reducing emissions through electrification of tactical and non-tactical vehicles and increasing energy resilience with microgrids and portable, carbon-free energy solutions.

Microgrids are small-scale electrical systems that can be powered by the sun, natural gas, batteries, wind and other passive-energy sources. In addition, they can also store energy, allowing them to power mission-critical systems on installations during grid disturbances and disruptions.

“We plan to install microgrids on every installation by 2035, with a goal of combining these systems with carbon-free energy generation and battery storage to sustain critical missions at all Army installations by 2040,” said Jacobson. “Currently, the Army has 28 operational microgrids, plus nine under construction and 26 in design.”

Also on display were the Army’s newest non-tactical electric vehicles: the Ford F-150 Lightning pick-up truck and the Chevrolet Bolt. Several Army installations, including Fort Carson, Colorado and Fort Moore, Georgia, have already received their first shipments of F-150 pick-up trucks and charging stations, and more are coming to installations across the country.