Electric vehicles gaining steam in South Sound

Just as gas is approaching $4 a gallon, a few trailblazers are turning to the cutting edge of auto technology: the electric vehicle.

Government agencies and a small number of individual drivers are first in line for electric cars in the South Sound. But at the moment, the vehicles are in short supply – as are the charging stations that extend their range.

The City of Tacoma has ordered seven Nissan Leafs, one of the first mass-produced, mid-size sedans to run entirely on batteries. Pierce County plans to buy three.

Federally supported programs are giving electric vehicle charging stations to Puget Sound businesses and public entities that agree to let the general public use them to power up. The City of University Place isn’t yet buying electric vehicles, but will install six charging stations for public use at the new Town Center parking garage.

In the private sector, a few South Sound residents have ordered the car and are awaiting delivery.

David Laur of Lacey is believed to have been the first South Sound resident to receive the Leaf, a five-seat hatchback, when he picked it up Jan. 17. The car, quick-charge port and other upgrades cost him $34,500.

“I love it,” said Laur, who’s leasing the car for tax purposes, but plans to convert the contract to a purchase. “People see me, they beep, give me the thumbs up. I love that other people are at least thinking about it. I hope Nissan will put E.V.s into the mainstream.”

Nissan offered the autos on a first-come, first-served basis in the launch states of Washington, California, Arizona, Oregon, Hawaii, Tennessee and Texas. Meanwhile, Ford is slated to release its Focus Electric compact by year’s end in select markets, including Seattle and Portland.

Korum’s Puyallup Nissan expects two of the six Leafs it pre-sold to start arriving this month, said Mike Sosa, the dealership’s Internet manager. He said inquiries about the Leaf have accelerated since gas prices starting climbing a couple months ago. “It’s definitely picked up,” he said, “... where people want to drive it, and to touch it. It’s frustrating for people that it’s not readily available.”

Nissan has temporarily stopped taking orders for the 2013 model year, until it determines how many cars will be available, Sosa added. Last month’s tsunami in Japan caused such damage to the island nation’s transportation system, the manufacturer is having trouble receiving auto parts. “I’m telling customers be patient and the order/reservation process should be opening up in a month,” he said.

Beyond the advantage of saving fuel dollars, electric vehicles could help improve air quality, an important goal in Pierce County. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated portions of Tacoma and the county “as a ‘nonattainment’ area for fine particle pollution, which means that pollution levels pose a health concern and exceed national air quality standards,” according to the Pierce County website.

The environmentally friendly Leaf emits no greenhouse gases.

To encourage the new technology, Washington state waives the sales tax on electric vehicles. The federal government provides an income tax credit of up to $7,500 for the purchase of an electric auto.

CHARGING UP

Federal economic stimulus dollars are funding grants to distribute hundreds of charging stations throughout the Puget Sound. Wide availability of charging stations is crucial to promoting acceptance of electric vehicles and preventing what’s known as “range anxiety,” the fear of getting stuck with no place to charge a battery.

Electric vehicles have a limited driving range before their batteries must be recharged. Nissan advertises that the Leaf can travel 100 miles on a fully charged battery, but the range can decrease if the heater or air conditioner are running.

“We have an efficient system for gas-powered vehicles,” said Alisa O’Hanlon, Tacoma government relations coordinator. “The Puget Sound has been identified as one of five areas in the country where they want to show how to build out a system for electric vehicles.”

People can plug the Leaf into a common, 110-volt wall outlet, but that method takes 16 hours to fully charge a dead battery, Laur said. Quick-charging stations that work on 220 volts are available for the home, and even faster 440-volt models are available for businesses. The most sophisticated commercial versions are equipped to send a GPS signal alerting drivers to the closest charging station, whether the station is in use, and can charge owners’ credit cards for the electricity they draw.

Tacoma businessman Brian Steel plans to apply for a charging station through Chargepoint America Project, ChargeNorthwest, one of the federally-supported programs. He converts classic Volkswagen Beetles to run on electric batteries at his businesses, New Leaf EV and Small Car Performance on South Tacoma Way.

Though he would have to cover the $2,000 installation expense, he wouldn’t have to pay for the charging station, worth $5,000 to $6,000. The other charging station initiative, EV Project, Ecotality, covers up to $2,500 for installation, but Steel doubts his location would qualify under that program.

“Now we’re just using a 110-volt outlet for charging,” Steel said. “These set-ups they have could charge twice as fast and be compatible with the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt.”

GOVERNMENT FLEET

The City of Tacoma placed its order for Leafs in February and expects to receive some of them later this year and the rest by early next year, said Fred Chun, the city’s fleet services manager.

As he researched whether the city should buy the Leaf, Chun said the City of Seattle told him it planned to buy 35 of the vehicles; King County was getting 30 and Snohomish County was getting five.

Tacoma and Pierce County also plan to apply to grant programs for charging stations. Tacoma plans to develop at least eight charging stations. Pierce County plans to get at least three, and is seeking three more, said Ryan Dicks, the county’s sustainability manager.

The electric vehicles will support the city and county environmental efforts.

Tacoma’s climate action plan, adopted in 2008, required the city to buy electric vehicles when they became available and could meet city needs, Chun said. The plan mandated the city buy as many as 12 hybrid and three electric vehicles a year. The city and Tacoma Public Utilities already own more than 50 hybrid cars.

In January, the City Council approved the purchase of up to 10 Leafs, 11 Ford Fusion hybrid detective cars and 70 Ford Crown Victoria police patrol vehicles. Two Leafs will replace two outdated parking enforcement vehicles, and the rest will go into the city and public works motor pool.

The city expects to pay about $33,500 for each Leaf, which won’t require the sales tax. In comparison, the Ford Fusion hybrid is expected to cost about $26,500 including tax. While the Leaf costs more up front than a hybrid or traditional gas-powered auto, Chun said the electric vehicle should cost less overall when fuel and maintenance costs are calculated into the vehicles’ typical life cycle of 11 years with the city.

Based on his cost analysis of data from Nissan, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the city’s motor pool experience and various electricity and gas price projections, Chun estimated a Leaf would save the city at least $2,700 compared to a Toyota Prius hybrid over the course of 11 years, if gas stayed at $3 a gallon. If gas rises to $5 a gallon, the savings would increase to more than $6,000.

“There is zero tailpipe emissions,” with the Leaf, Chun said. “We need to work on cleaning up our air. We’re doing our small part.”

MAKING A STATEMENT

Laur said he didn’t buy the Leaf to save money, but he’s more than happy to avoid the gas pump these days. He plugs his car into a wall outlet at home most evenings, and estimates it’s adding about $8.15 a week to his electricity bill.

The Leaf drives just like a petro-powered car, Laur said, except it doesn’t make engine noise and doesn’t idle. “From 0 to 40 (mph) it has really fast pickup. It doesn’t have a motor delay where you step on the gas and it takes a while to build up RPM. It has full torque immediately.”

His motivation for going electric? His desire to wean the country from its dependence on foreign oil. In the past, he owned a two-seat electric Zen car and a Toyota Prius hybrid.

“We’re sending half a trillion dollars to foreign countries for oil. We’re undermining the financial structure of the United States,” Laur said. “I have a son who’s 4 years old. I don’t want him to look me in the face and ask why we had a chance to move away from an oil-based society and didn’t. This Leaf signifies the first opportunity to start moving away from an oil-based society.”

Debby Abe: 253-597-8694

debby.abe@thenewstribune.com

South Sound businesses can play a role in reducing fossil fuel emissions by offering the public an electric vehicle charging station on their site.

Grant programs are available to allow businesses to host charging stations for free. Businesses can recoup electricity costs and even generate revenue by charging fees to electric vehicle customers, according to a City of Tacoma news release.

Businesses must agree to allow the general public to use the charging station and to allow anonymous data to be collected for analysis in a federally-funded program. Once the project ends, ownership of the charging station transfers to the business owner.

Businesses must apply by September.

Interested owners can get more information from Jim Blaisdell with Chargepoint America Project, ChargeNorthwest at 253-265-0919 or Dan O’Shea with the EV Project, Ecotality at 206-920-1477. The EV Project will cover installation costs of up to $2,500.

Debby Abe, staff writer