Building the West Coast Electric Highway for a Cleaner, Energy-Independent Future
Oregon Department of Transportation
Washington State Department of Transportation
AeroVironment, Inc.
Business Oregon
Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition
Drive Oregon
Energize Oregon Coalition
Office of Governor John A. Kitzhaber
Oregon Department of Energy
Oregon Electric Vehicle Association
Rogue Valley Clean Cities Coalition
The West Coast Electric Highway is an extensive network of electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations that will facilitate the use of non-petroleum fuel sources in the Pacific Northwest. With the help of $3.34 million in TIGER II grant funding, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and its partners are creating a border-to-border system of 43 EV fast-charging stations. This system will enable a shift towards electric transportation by expanding the usage of an EV beyond its typical battery range of around 100 miles. Emissions from an EV are significantly less than those of a conventional automobile and because EVs produce zero local emissions, this shift will likely result in significant air quality improvements.
ODOT is partnering with the Washington State Department of Transportation and others to create a regional EV charging network along Interstate 5 (I-5) and along corridors radiating out from I-5. The completion of this project in 2014 will decrease reliance on petroleum-based fuel sources in the transportation sector across the region, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the economic costs of petroleum-based transportation. ODOT's innovative efforts demonstrate new possibilities for a sustainable transportation infrastructure in the 21st century.
A convoy of EVs departs after charging up off the West Coast Electric Highway.
Photo: ODOT
