Electric Vehicles
Electric Vehicles (EV) are gaining popularity as most of the major car companies have committed to the transition away from gasoline and diesel engines. Cheq Bay Renewables has started a new initiative to educate our region about this transition so when you are ready to make the switch, you will have the necessary information to make an informed decision.
Bayfield County 50kW DC fast charger
Sept 22nd, 2021: The charger pictured above is now fully operational after tech experts fixed a software snafu. A big thanks to local resident, Roger Aiken, who provided his Chevy Bolt to test the charger and tirelessly awaited while the process played out. Roger offers this press release:
High speed EV Charger opens in Washburn
Bay Area Rapid Transit has provided a new level three charger (50KW or greater charge Capacity) in Washburn, near the Bayfield Courthouse, just off Washington Ave and East 6th street.
This is a significant event for the area and will allow visitors and residents traveling to distant areas to charge quickly at a good price. Level 2 charges add about 30 miles an hour to the vehicle. Level three charges can add more than 100 miles in the same time span, depending on the vehicle and state of charge.
The new Level three charger joins L3 chargers in Duluth, Spooner, Trego, and Clam Lake to make traveling to our area and return much more convenient.
The BART has an electric bus on order and will be using the station for a limited time per day. It will be available to the public twenty-four hours a day when not in use. It provides the two plug types, CHAdeMO and CCS. Other level two charges are available in Bayfield and Washburn at various hotels and (summer) campgrounds.
The charger is on the EVGateway Network, which has a downloadable app to setup an account, or the charger will take a credit card or RFID card for account holders. The electric busses are part of a Statewide group purchase and so this network should grow as rural transit authorities receive the electric busses.
Sept. 10th, 2021: Bayfield County's charger was energized this week, with a few communication bugs, but they are working on getting it fully functional. It is hard to troubleshoot without an EV to charge, so if you want to be a beta-tester, give it a try and send feedback to CBR, Bayfield County, or BART. It is located just west of the courthouse in the triangle-shaped parking lot. Thanks to Roger Aiken, the first customer to try (unsuccessfully) to charge at the station. His feedback was appreciated.
August 20th, 2021: A 50 kW DC fast charger was installed today at the Bayfield County Courthouse parking lot. It should be fully operational in a week or two. There are two types of charging plugs, CCS/SAE and CHAdeMO, so all vehicles should be able to charge, but only one vehicle can charge at a time. The BART electric buses are not scheduled to arrive until the end of 2021.
August 13th, 2021: The first electric vehicle dc fast charging station in Northern Wisconsin has broken ground near the Bayfield County courthouse in what is known locally as the triangle parking lot. It is in coordination with the Bay Area Rural Transit (BART) and will be open to the public when the new BART electric buses are not charging. The 50 kW DC fast charger can only charge one vehicle at a time. A typical electric car, that can take a 50kW charge, should be able to get from a low battery state to 80% in about 30 minutes. This installation will be the first in the area to use Xcel Energy's new commercial EV tariff.
March 25th, 2021: "RENEW Wisconsin, a Madison-based renewable energy advocacy organization, has announced the start of a new grant program titled EVs for Good. The program will foster the expansion of electric vehicles (EVs) among mission-based nonprofits throughout Wisconsin. EVs for Good will reduce the upfront costs of purchasing an electric vehicle while reducing maintenance costs and transportation emissions." Read the full press release here.
December 20th, 2019: The Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation notified Cheq Bay Renewables that the RFP filed on November 8th, and described below, has been put on hold. When we find out more information, this post will be updated.
November 20th, 2019: Xcel Energy issued a news release announcing a filing with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission to create new tariffs for residential and commercial electric vehicle charging. The news release can be read here. If approved, two new tariffs will be created for residential charging and one for commercial charging. The complete docket before the PSC can be read here. Xcel hopes to implement these changes in the summer of 2020.
On November 4th, 2019 CBR in association with the UW-Extension Ashland and Bayfield Counties hosted our first information session at WITC. Our guest speaker was EV expert and EV program manager from RENEW WI, Jane McCurry. The event was recorded and can be viewed by these three YouTube links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, as well as the slide deck. There were two handouts comparing EV and PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles). They can be viewed here and here.
On November 8th, 2019 CBR applied for a Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation grant called Zero-Emission Vehicle Technology Pilot Program. The grant, if awarded, will offer $5,000 to individuals, municipalities, tribes, or businesses that purchase electric vehicles before June 30, 2020. The grant will cover up to six vehicles. If you are in the EV marketplace and are interested in saving $5,000 on a purchase, please contact CBR through our contact form here..
On October 20, 2019, CBR and the UW-Extension sent out an Electric Vehicle Survey to CBR's mailing list. 122 responses were tabulated and the results can be read here. We thank everyone who participated in the survey. Many questions were asked, and many of those questions were answered at the November 4th Information Session. The survey results have helped us make sure the EV program is oriented to you, the Cheq Bay residents.
Have you ever wonder about the economics of EVs vs. a gasoline powered vehicle? Here is a sheet on EV Economics for the true EV nerd.
Here are a few current links if you want to read more:
The Oil Industry vs. the Electric Car
Minneapolis EV Pilot Program
We are just beginning this transition and many new EV models and advanced technologies will be forthcoming in the next year and beyond. CBR will follow this transformation and update this website to include the latest information. If you have something to offer, a suggestion or comment, maybe something you have read relating to this topic, or, would like to share your personal EV experience, please contact us at cheqbayrenewables@gmail.com or fill out our contact form here.
High speed EV Charger opens in Washburn
Bay Area Rapid Transit has provided a new level three charger (50KW or greater charge Capacity) in Washburn, near the Bayfield Courthouse, just off Washington Ave and East 6th street.
This is a significant event for the area and will allow visitors and residents traveling to distant areas to charge quickly at a good price. Level 2 charges add about 30 miles an hour to the vehicle. Level three charges can add more than 100 miles in the same time span, depending on the vehicle and state of charge.
The new Level three charger joins L3 chargers in Duluth, Spooner, Trego, and Clam Lake to make traveling to our area and return much more convenient.
The BART has an electric bus on order and will be using the station for a limited time per day. It will be available to the public twenty-four hours a day when not in use. It provides the two plug types, CHAdeMO and CCS. Other level two charges are available in Bayfield and Washburn at various hotels and (summer) campgrounds.
The charger is on the EVGateway Network, which has a downloadable app to setup an account, or the charger will take a credit card or RFID card for account holders. The electric busses are part of a Statewide group purchase and so this network should grow as rural transit authorities receive the electric busses.
Sept. 10th, 2021: Bayfield County's charger was energized this week, with a few communication bugs, but they are working on getting it fully functional. It is hard to troubleshoot without an EV to charge, so if you want to be a beta-tester, give it a try and send feedback to CBR, Bayfield County, or BART. It is located just west of the courthouse in the triangle-shaped parking lot. Thanks to Roger Aiken, the first customer to try (unsuccessfully) to charge at the station. His feedback was appreciated.
August 20th, 2021: A 50 kW DC fast charger was installed today at the Bayfield County Courthouse parking lot. It should be fully operational in a week or two. There are two types of charging plugs, CCS/SAE and CHAdeMO, so all vehicles should be able to charge, but only one vehicle can charge at a time. The BART electric buses are not scheduled to arrive until the end of 2021.
August 13th, 2021: The first electric vehicle dc fast charging station in Northern Wisconsin has broken ground near the Bayfield County courthouse in what is known locally as the triangle parking lot. It is in coordination with the Bay Area Rural Transit (BART) and will be open to the public when the new BART electric buses are not charging. The 50 kW DC fast charger can only charge one vehicle at a time. A typical electric car, that can take a 50kW charge, should be able to get from a low battery state to 80% in about 30 minutes. This installation will be the first in the area to use Xcel Energy's new commercial EV tariff.
March 25th, 2021: "RENEW Wisconsin, a Madison-based renewable energy advocacy organization, has announced the start of a new grant program titled EVs for Good. The program will foster the expansion of electric vehicles (EVs) among mission-based nonprofits throughout Wisconsin. EVs for Good will reduce the upfront costs of purchasing an electric vehicle while reducing maintenance costs and transportation emissions." Read the full press release here.
December 20th, 2019: The Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation notified Cheq Bay Renewables that the RFP filed on November 8th, and described below, has been put on hold. When we find out more information, this post will be updated.
November 20th, 2019: Xcel Energy issued a news release announcing a filing with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission to create new tariffs for residential and commercial electric vehicle charging. The news release can be read here. If approved, two new tariffs will be created for residential charging and one for commercial charging. The complete docket before the PSC can be read here. Xcel hopes to implement these changes in the summer of 2020.
On November 4th, 2019 CBR in association with the UW-Extension Ashland and Bayfield Counties hosted our first information session at WITC. Our guest speaker was EV expert and EV program manager from RENEW WI, Jane McCurry. The event was recorded and can be viewed by these three YouTube links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, as well as the slide deck. There were two handouts comparing EV and PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles). They can be viewed here and here.
On November 8th, 2019 CBR applied for a Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation grant called Zero-Emission Vehicle Technology Pilot Program. The grant, if awarded, will offer $5,000 to individuals, municipalities, tribes, or businesses that purchase electric vehicles before June 30, 2020. The grant will cover up to six vehicles. If you are in the EV marketplace and are interested in saving $5,000 on a purchase, please contact CBR through our contact form here..
On October 20, 2019, CBR and the UW-Extension sent out an Electric Vehicle Survey to CBR's mailing list. 122 responses were tabulated and the results can be read here. We thank everyone who participated in the survey. Many questions were asked, and many of those questions were answered at the November 4th Information Session. The survey results have helped us make sure the EV program is oriented to you, the Cheq Bay residents.
Have you ever wonder about the economics of EVs vs. a gasoline powered vehicle? Here is a sheet on EV Economics for the true EV nerd.
Here are a few current links if you want to read more:
The Oil Industry vs. the Electric Car
Minneapolis EV Pilot Program
We are just beginning this transition and many new EV models and advanced technologies will be forthcoming in the next year and beyond. CBR will follow this transformation and update this website to include the latest information. If you have something to offer, a suggestion or comment, maybe something you have read relating to this topic, or, would like to share your personal EV experience, please contact us at cheqbayrenewables@gmail.com or fill out our contact form here.
