The event will feature an informational booth, charging station location maps, and educational information on electric vehicles and future expansion plans. Guest speakers are to be announced. Photo opportunities and press releases will be available.
About the North Coast Plug-In Electric Vehicle Charging Network
Redwood Coast Energy Authority promotes the adoption of electric vehicles in our region and plans, implements, and manages electric vehicle public charging infrastructure. The agency currently manages public electric vehicle charging stations at 14 locations in Humboldt County. The goals of the network are to:
- Increase Plug-in Electric Vehicle travel in our region and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle miles travelled.
- Establish a locally controlled, affordable, and economically sustainable network of EV charging stations in the region.
- Demonstrate a non-profit EV network administrator business model that includes:
- cost recovery for site hosts providing electricity for electric vehicles;
- funding for network administration and operations to ensure network reliability;
- a reasonable pricing structure aimed at offering competitive local fuel costs for electric vehicles when compared to conventional gasoline vehicles.
Why Electric Vehicles?
Roughly half of the energy used in our region is for transportation, and almost all transportation fuel is from petroleum-based fossil sources. Electric vehicles will play a critical role in shifting transportation away from fossil fuels. We can use our abundant local renewable energy resources to produce electricity as a cleaner and more cost-effective transportation fuel. Electric vehicles are an excellent way for our community to enhance local energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve our economy.
A Network of Dedicated Partners
A team of local partners participated to make this project a success. The Redwood Coast Energy Authority provided overall program management and the Schatz Energy Research Center coordinated the installation effort as Owner’s Engineer. OurEvolution Energy & Engineering led the civil engineering tasks and GHD reviewed electrical plans. McKeever Energy & Electric Inc., partnered with DCI Builders for civil contracting work, won the public bid for electrical contracting to install equipment at seven of the nine sites. The other two sites, the McKinleyville Shopping Center (owned by Pierson Company) and St. Joseph Hospital, used their own electrical contractors, Ambrosini and Sons and Colburn Electric respectively.
We are very grateful to our site hosts for providing these convenient locations for the public to charge their electric vehicles. Participating hosts include the Arcata Technology Center Partners, City of Trinidad, City of Ferndale, City of Fortuna, City of Rio Dell, L and A Enterprises, North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District, Roger and Nancy Brown of Brown Rental, St. Joseph Hospital, and the Willow Creek Community Services District.
Funding for this project was generously provided by a grant from the California Energy Commission through their Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program.
For interview requests, please contact:
Matthew Marshall, Executive Director of Redwood Coast Energy Authority, at mmarshall@redwoodenergy.org or (707) 269-1700 ext: 302
Dana Boudreau, Operations Manager of Redwood Coast Energy Authority, at Dboudreau@redwoodenergy.org or (707) 269-1700 ext: 307
Peter Lehman, Founding Director, Schatz Energy Research Center, Humboldt State University peter.lehman@humboldt.edu or (707) 826-4345