The Indian Wells Valley Airport District approved a deal with EV Connect to install an electrical fast charge station on the airport grounds. The new charge station would be capable of "topping" off a vehicle in less than 30 minutes, according to EV Connect's David Hughes.
Hughes presented his plan the board, which is paid for from a state of California grant.
"The state of California decided about four years ago that the field of transportation would be electricity," Hughes told the bard. To that end, California designated specific routes where charging stations would be installed. Highway 14 is one of them, which is about six miles from Inyokern Airport.
The state then opened up grant funding in which companies could submit proposals.
EV Connect put in an application and was awarded grants to install the stations.
"They told us that we had to put four fast charge stations in the [Highway 14] corridor," Hughes said. The corridor runs from Palmdale/Lancaster to Inyokern.
EV Connect also does business in other states, including New York, and Hughes noted the number of stations is growing.
"These are going in all over the country now," Hughes said. "All the fleets in the country are buying these vehicles so it's part of the grand old change."
As for California, the idea is to promote a sense of reliability and charging stations down the road.
"The state wanted to feel that if a driver wanted to go up the 14 to visit Lone Pine or Bishop, they would have access to charging," Hughes said. Another station would be installed in Mojave.
He noted there wouldn't be anything around for a hundred miles if it ended in Mojave.
There were a few caveats. The charging stations will not work on hybrid vehicles like the Ford Fusion or the Chevrolet Volt, in part because of the small battery size. People will have to pay for a charge, much like one would top off with fuel.
However, EV Connect pays for everything up until March 2022, from installation to electricity and maintenance.
After that, if the airport decides it wants it out, EV Connect will pull it. If the airport decides it wants to keep it, they can either purchase or work out a lease arrangement. The airport will gain some economic revenue.
Board president Paul Valovich asked if Hughes' company has spoken with Kern County Planning Department. Since Inyokern Airport is in an unincorporated part of Kern County, permits would be required from the latter's planning department.
Hughes said such talks don't typically take place until after it secured support and agreements from the host site. Installing the fast charge station would also fall under Southern California Edison's schedule, which would conduct an assessment and develop plans.
"Once Edison is on board, we go to the local authority," he said. Hughes said EV Connect and Edison have a good working relationship.
Board members recommended an enclosure or sun protection to offer shade.
The board approved the agreement 3-0. Board members Steven Morgan and Axel Alvarez were not present.
©2017 The Daily Independent, Ridgecrest, Calif. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
