Kelly Willett has been driving a Tesla Model Y for about six months. It’s helped her commute of 18 miles to Anchorage after leaving Eagle River much more enjoyable.
When she parked her car on the Glenn Highway on a recent afternoon, she showcased the car’s quick torque that is common to electric automobiles.
“And that’s not even mentioning the acceleration to the highway is great I think that’s my absolute preferred, or perhaps one of my most favorite parts,” she said. “So I’m driving at highway speeds and I’m able connect more efficiently and in a safe manner.”
Willett belongs to a tiny but rapidly growing group that includes electric car owners from Alaska.
It is believed that the Biden administration The Biden administrationwants this number to increase dramatically across the nation in the next few years. He’s putting forward stricter pollution limits which would make up to two-thirds of all new vehicles being sold across the U.S. to be electric in 2032. It could cause problems for those in Alaska where the infrastructure for electric vehicles isn’t that great, yet local owners say that in most cases, it’s simple to travel within one.
“It’s been a fantastic car thus it’s been so far” stated Willett. “I love the technology as well as the driving experience, and it’s maintenance-free. The only thing I need to do on the vehicle is to add windshield washer fluid into it. That’s all.”
Willett saved for over 10 years to purchase her Model Y. She’s been keen on the idea of sustainability since her time in college studying biology However, she says she was tired of the expense of maintaining her Subaru.
She also said that the car perfectly suited to the Alaska lifestyle. Willett rides fatbikes, climbs ice, and hunts, usually with her canine Nala which was lying in the back of the trunk.
Chugach Electric Association estimates there is more than 2,300 electric vehicles (including Plug-in Hybrids) that are on the road across Alaska. It’s a small percentage of all cars however within Anchorage alone, the number grew by 120% in the month of June 2021.
Dimitri Shein is the Executive Director of the Alaska Electric Vehicle Association, an organization that works to promote EV infrastructure across Alaska. He says electric cars are the next step in driving.
“People frequently want to link electric vehicles with green movements. However, I believe that at some point, it’s becoming clear that the reason electric cars are getting more popular and commonplace is that they provide something more as well as convenience and comfort,” he said. “And they’re fundamentally superior vehicles.”
However, Alaska’s notoriously cold and long winters aren’t ideal for electric vehicles. Batteries don’t perform effectively in cold temperatures. Shein claimed that the cold winter weather can drain some battery packs for electric vehicles by up to 30 percent. However, since the latest EVs typically have around 250 miles in range he stated that the loss isn’t usually an issue, particularly when it comes to daily commutes.
“When traveling in my vehicle in the summer, I can stay for three days without plugging my car in when I’m at home and charge it it overnight,” he said. “And driving during winter I need to plug in every day or once every two days depending on the amount of driving I’ve been doing and the temperature.”
He said he compared plugging in the car with charging his phone in the evening it’s as simple as that.
Of of course, charging that huge battery can raise your electric bills. However, Chugach Electric utility estimates it’s less than half of the cost of filling a typical automobile with gas.
Sean Skaling is a Senior Manager of Business Development at Chugach. He stated that EVs also contribute to approximately 60 per cent less carbon emissions however, the utility depends on fossil fuels to generate electricity.
“Electric vehicles convert the bulk of the energy contained in batteries to forward movement in contrast to a gasoline vehicle. there are estimates, and they’re quite a wide range however let’s suppose that around 25percent of value of the energy stored in the fuel value is put into the movement of the car.” said the researcher.
“And the rest most of it is just wasted heat. A portion of it happens when you’re stopping – wasted heat. You’re using friction brakes to stop instead of creating electricity to charge the battery for later use. The vehicles themselves are so much smarter.”
A long-distance trip particularly in winter months – isn’t easy as the state has only just a few speedy chargers on the rail line. However, Skaling claimed there are more than you believe. He told me that a coworker drove over 1,200 kilometers across New York the weekend of a few weeks ago.
“He went to Anchorage and then to Homer and then to Fairbanks and Glennallen, then returning to Anchorage and back to Anchorage in one weekend. He used ten high-speed chargers,” he said. “I think it’s proof that I believe we’re better prepared than people think. There are many more charging stations than people realize.”
Skaling stated that there are 12 fast chargers that are active located on the roads of Alaska and there are many more on the route thanks to the five million dollars in the recently agreed federal infrastructure funds. It is believed that the Alaska Energy Authority is currently in search of site host applicants to put in these chargers.
