The city of Durango and La Plata Electric Association see a future in which Durangoans are buying more electric vehicles and helping the city become more environmentally sustainable. That future is miles down the road, but a new electric vehicle readiness plan could help make it happen.
Americans are steadily adopting electric vehicles, particularly in large cities or states like California and Washington. Rural areas often have unpredictable adoption rates, but Durango city and electricity managers expect to see more electric vehicles on local roads in coming years. If the city doesn’t prepare, electric cars could be more of a burden than a boon.
“We recognize that electric vehicles, coupled with the decarbonization of the electrical supply, will be critical to achieve the greenhouse gas emission goals,” said Imogen Ainsworth, the city’s sustainability coordinator.
In 2019, Durango City Council set a goal to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from 2016 levels by 2030. In 2016, 39% of Durango emissions came from transportation, mostly from petroleum and diesel use by passenger and commercial vehicles, according to a city study.
LPEA wants to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% from 2018 levels by 2030, while keeping the cost of electricity lower than 70% of other rural electric cooperatives in Colorado.
In early May, the partners began seeking an external consultant to create an electric vehicle readiness plan. The consultant, expected to start in June, will identify local barriers and strategies to increase Durango’s adoption of electric vehicles.
By December, the city should have a road map for future action. The project will cost $65,000, mostly from grants. LPEA and the city will each contribute $10,000, which they say will not be impacted by coronavirus-related budget constraints.
“It’s the cheapest way we’ll ever get this work done,” said Dominic May, energy management supervisor at LPEA.
Electric vehicles are most sustainable when they draw from renewable electricity sources – and that largely depends on what time of day people are charging up.
During the middle of the day and night, electricity is cheap and includes a greater percentage of “clean” electricity, generated from renewable resources. In the evening and morning, electricity is expensive, usage rates are at their peaks and more nonrenewable sources are needed to generate the supply.
With planning, “we would be able to time these (charging stations) so that we can fill up all of the cars when the energy is the cleanest and cheapest,” May said.
It is not yet clear how Durango’s market will respond to electric vehicles. Electric vehicles might not have the battery life necessary to drive long distances, and electric pickup trucks aren’t yet on the market – both of which might deter local customers.
With electric vehicles, more customers will visit charging stations instead of gas stations, and more electricity will flow through LPEA’s grid. That could burden the system if the infrastructure doesn’t have enough capacity.
The co-op can save money by planning for increased capacity at the beginning of construction projects rather than re-building in the future. Then, with more revenue coming in, LPEA would be able to invest more in local projects. The readiness plan will help LPEA define its next steps.
“Electric vehicle adoption is something La Plata Electric has no control over,” May said. “People purchase any vehicle they want,” May said. “If we do not get ahead of infrastructure, control and setting up programs … then this can actually become a major burden on our system.”
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