“Electric vehicles offer the chance to benefit the environment and the consumer by allowing transportation to be cleaner and less dependent on foreign oil,” said Steve Reynolds, president and CEO of PSE. “As a utility, we are committed to ensuring that our energy resources and infrastructure will be ready as this next generation of cars and trucks hit the road.”
PSE and the City of Bellevue, which is part of the C-7 New Energy Partnership (a consortium of local cities including Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Redmond, Renton and Sammamish), are working with Nissan and its partner, eTec, in deploying charging stations throughout the C-7 region.
“Electric transportation will be a vital part of meeting our region’s mobility needs while moving towards our greenhouse gas reduction targets,” said Bellevue Mayor Grant Degginger. “Bellevue will be working with our C-7 partners, other government agencies, utilities and various manufacturers in making innovative and cleaner choices available to our communities.”
In October, eTec, a subsidiary of ECOtality, received a $100 million grant, in part to construct as many as 2,200 charging stations in the Western Washington, many to be served by PSE. The utility will assist with the roll-out of charging stations for the Nissan LEAF and other EVs, and is studying how the increased use of EVs may impact the demand for energy and the infrastructure to support it. The nation’s second-largest utility owner and operator of wind power, PSE will be exploring how EV charging stations and renewable energy generating facilities, such as wind and solar power, work together to reduce the carbon emissions from the transportation system.
In addition to Nissan and eTec, PSE is working with other automakers, utilities, and government agencies and is also testing two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to help the utility better understand the energy demands and infrastructure challenges presented by greater use of electricity in transportation. Plug-in hybrids use electric power from batteries that are recharged through the electrical grid to provide the primary power source for short- and medium-range trips, using their gasoline engine only when necessary. PSE’s PHEVs join 48 conventional hybrid vehicles in PSE’s fleet, and the first hybrid service line truck, which entered service in April 2009. The vehicle, which is a heavy duty diesel-electric hybrid, is being used by the utility to restore power in routine and storm situations.
Puget Sound Energy: Washington state’s oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service area stretching across 11 counties, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and nearly 750,000 natural gas customers. PSE, a subsidiary of Puget Energy, meets the energy needs of its growing customer base primarily in Western Washington through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service to deliver energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible.
The C-7 New Energy Partnership is a collaboration of seven neighboring communities to bring smart, innovative and environmentally sustainable energy and mobility solutions to our shared geography. The C-7’s nearly 400,000 residents live, work, and play in the same places, sharing schools, community organizations, and employers. We believe that by working together, we will achieve superior outcomes for all of our communities. The C-7 cities are Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Redmond, Renton, and Sammamish.
