Chugach Partners with Members on EV Charging Stations

Chugach Electric has partnered with five commercial members in Anchorage that were selected to be participants in an electric vehicle (EV) charging station research project. In exchange for research information, Chugach will provide funding toward the installation of “Level 2” charging stations with universal connectors that can charge any EV.  The five members were selected competitively based on criteria such as geographic diversity and activities available while charging:

• Alyeska Resort
• Creekbend Company, Hope
• Dimond Center
• JL Properties, South Restaurant retail center
• Municipality of Anchorage, parking lot east of Rustic Goat Restaurant

The Alyeska Resort charger has been in operation since September 2019; the others will be installed after the ground thaws and before the end of June. As part of the program Chugach will contribute up to $7,500 toward the actual installed cost of the charging facility. The charging station will be selected, installed, owned, and maintained by the customer for the duration of the three-year research period. The goal of the partnership and research program is to better understand the driving habits and charging needs of EV owners as well as the extent to which chargers are used in commercial areas.

Chugach’s most recent count of EVs shows there are a little more than 150 all-electric vehicles registered in the Municipality of Anchorage (not including plug-in hybrid vehicles). This is an increase of fifty vehicles since last August.  There is a total of twelve manufacturers represented in Anchorage’s EV population and seventeen different models. The most common make is Tesla, which accounts for about 110 of the 150 vehicles.