Increasing Electric Vehicle Awareness and Charging Infrastructure in Northwest Washington

Electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasts living north of Seattle have a new home in the northern reaches of the Puget Sound area. Newly formed North Sound Electric Vehicle Association is partnering with the Northwest Washington Electrical Industry Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) in Mt. Vernon, Washington to provide for a monthly meeting location for the EV group.

North Sound EVA was formed by Tyrel Haveman of Bellingham for the purpose of enhancing EV awareness in Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and San Juan Counties.  The group also aims to increase EV infrastructure and support electrification efforts in Northwest Washington.

The JATC apprenticeship and training programs offer electricians, aspiring and experienced alike, a state-of-the-art facility to hone their craft.  Their newest program offerings include certification for electric vehicle infrastructure deployment.

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment

Geographically, the JATC provides North Sound EVA a location that is easily accessible by electric vehicle drivers living in Washington's northern and island counties. And for EV drivers that want to plug in during the group's meetings, the JATC facility provides ample electric vehicle supply equipment to charge from.

EV charging under a solar panel car port

North Sound EVA meetings are held at 11:00am on the third Saturday of every month at the JATC.

The JATC is located at:

306 Anderson Rd
Mt. Vernon, WA 98273

Tesla on the Ropes in Washington State

With extreme weather hitting the Puget Sound region for days on end and a long President's Day weekend for many, there was plenty of time for folks in Western Washington to catch the Internet buzz over the weekend about two companion bills being rushed through the state legislature targeting the very future of electric vehicle sales in the state.

House Bill 2524, and its sister bill in the state senate, 6272, have provisions embedded in otherwise mundane legislative action that are threatening EV sales in Washington.

Clearly, various dealership associations had an influence with the inclusion of provisions that would effectively prohibit Tesla Motors from opening any additional sales or service centers in the state.  

The cross hairs are not just being targeted on the industry-disrupting Tesla, though. The bills also target new EV sales from all manufacturers. If passed in their current forms, HB 2524 and SB 6272 would also require any manufacturer wanting to release a new EV model in the the state to equip ALL of its dealers within the state with specific diagnostic and servicing equipment needed to service the new vehicle.  

This would effectively stop any further EV models from being released in Washington State because the high investment costs needed to prepare dealerships to sell and service EVs can only be done on region-by-region basis until there is critical mass adoption for EVs to bring the associated costs down.

Rally Requisite:  Pink Sign!

Late Sunday night, I decided to take my two children on an impromptu 100 mile road trip Monday morning to visit our state's capital in Olympia, and join with other electric vehicle advocates to oppose the legislative action. It was a first-time visit for us, and upon arrival, we were pretty much overwhelmed with excitement!

There was a lot of energy around the state capital on Monday and Tuesday, as 5:00pm on February 18th is the last call for any bills to make it out of their house of origin.  So, basically, Olympia is humming with lobbyists and special interests trying to get their final influencing perspective to their legislative representatives--or targets, for the professional lobbyists.  

TONS of Teslas...and one LEAF.

Once we arrived in Olympia, finding the electric vehicles at the capital was easy, but figuring out where every body was took some time. We were assisted by numerous capital staff, each of whom was genuinely interested in getting us connected with the EV owners for our extemporaneous rally.

I took the kids outside to try and get our bearings. Then, in unison, the three of us honed in on the legislative building's nearly 300-foot dome across the road from where we stood.

The tallest self-supporting masonry dome in the U.S.
THAT'S where the action is!

Inside the legislative building was memorizing for some:)

After our brief rally under the rotunda, the advocates dispersed. Some went to legislative offices to try and find a listening ear from a representative's staff. Others, headed into the legislative session to watch a caucus in action.  We decided to forgo the lobbying push, and parked it on the marble steps.  Just sitting there watching the process, the chaos, was awesome.

After we ate our sandwiches back at the car, I had to figure out how to get us home. I had read about a restricted-access direct-current quick charger (DCQC) being installed in a parking garage somewhere on the capital grounds.  After checking some apps on my phone, I had the charger located:  

Occupy!

It's a bit ironic that I was motivated by my civic duty to take my two children to see legislation in action and to do a bit of lobbying of our own, to then end the day with a dose of civil disobedience by charging from a restricted quick charger in the law makers' parking garage.

Looking at the week ahead, we will soon know if our efforts were in vain. If HB 2524 and SB 6272 move on as is, it will not be just Tesla Motors that is at risk of oblivion. 

The future of EVs in Washington State hinges on a few specific changes in these legislative actions.  If amendments are not made, Tesla will simply be the canary in the coal mine as the remaining EV movement in Washington State will soon follow its death.