Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124

03/09/2023 11:00 AM House ENERGY

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Audio Topic
11:00:40 AM Start
11:01:58 AM Presentation: Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
12:10:13 PM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
-- Please Note Time Change --
+ Presentation: Electric Vehicle Infrastructure TELECONFERENCED
by Kris Hall and Sara Hall, ReCharge Alaska
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
               HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ENERGY                                                                              
                         March 9, 2023                                                                                          
                           11:00 a.m.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative George Rauscher, Chair                                                                                           
Representative Tom McKay                                                                                                        
Representative Stanley Wright                                                                                                   
Representative Mike Prax                                                                                                        
Representative Calvin Schrage                                                                                                   
Representative Ashley Carrick                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Josiah Patkotak                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
PRESENTATION: ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     - HEARD                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
No previous action to record                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SARA HALL, Co-founder                                                                                                           
ReCharge Alaska                                                                                                                 
Anchorage, Alaska                                                                                                               
POSITION STATEMENT:  Gave a PowerPoint presentation, titled                                                                   
"Electric Vehicles in Alaska."                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
KRIS HALL, Co-founder                                                                                                           
ReCharge Alaska                                                                                                                 
Anchorage, Alaska                                                                                                               
POSITION STATEMENT:  Answered questions during the presentation,                                                              
titled "Electric Vehicle Infrastructure."                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
11:00:40 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  GEORGE  RAUSCHER called  the  House  Special Committee  on                                                             
Energy meeting to  order at 11:00 a.m.   Representatives Carrick,                                                               
Wright,  and  Rauscher  were  present   at  the  call  to  order.                                                               
Representatives Prax,  McKay, and Schrage arrived  as the meeting                                                               
was in progress.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
^PRESENTATION: ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE                                                                                  
         PRESENTATION: ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE                                                                      
                                                                                                                              
11:01:58 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR RAUSCHER  announced that the  only order of  business would                                                               
be  the  presentation  on   electric  vehicle  infrastructure  in                                                               
Alaska.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
11:02:26 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SARA  HALL,  Co-founder,  ReCharge   Alaska,  gave  a  PowerPoint                                                               
presentation,  titled "Electric  Vehicles in  Alaska" [hard  copy                                                               
included in  the committee  packet].   She began  on slide  2 and                                                               
slide 3,  stating that  the goal  of ReCharge  Alaska is  to make                                                               
driving electric vehicles  (EVs) more accessible in  Alaska.  She                                                               
said that  90 percent of  EV charging  happens at home,  and they                                                               
usually do not need  to be charged on a daily  basis.  She showed                                                               
a chart with the different types of EV chargers.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
11:06:16 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER  asked whether  a charging  station would                                                               
have all four types of chargers available.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. HALL answered that the J1772  charger would not be located at                                                               
any fast-charging  stations because  it is a  slow charger.   The                                                               
CHAdeMO and CCS Type 1  chargers are available on ReCharge Alaska                                                               
machines,  while an  adapter is  available  for Tesla  EVs.   She                                                               
added that  only the CCS charger  is being required, and  this is                                                               
because the CHAdeMO charger is being phased out.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
11:09:06 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WRIGHT  asked  what  the  cost  is  for  using  a                                                               
ReCharge Alaska charging station.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS. HALL  answered that some  localities require costs to  be per                                                               
minute  rather  than per  kilowatt-hour  (kWh),  and this  causes                                                               
discrepancy in prices.  She  said that ReCharge Alaska charges 60                                                               
cents per kWh in locations that charge  by kWh.  In response to a                                                               
follow-up question, she stated that charging at home is cheaper.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
11:11:39 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  RAUSCHER, for  the purpose  of  comparing electric  rates,                                                               
asked where Ms. Hall lives.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HALL  answered  that  she  lives in  South  Anchorage.    In                                                               
response to  a follow-up  question, she stated  that the  cost of                                                               
charging would vary based on the  make of the car and the driving                                                               
habits of the owner.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
11:12:50 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HALL continued  to  slide  4 and  gave  an  overview of  the                                                               
machine specifications  for charging.   She said that level  1 EV                                                               
outlets take between  1 and 6 days to charge,  level 2 EV outlets                                                               
take between 6  and 24 hours to charge, while  level 3 EV outlets                                                               
take between  18-120 minutes to charge.   She added that  level 3                                                               
chargers continue  to become  faster and  more powerful,  as they                                                               
are meant for semitrucks.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
11:16:50 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY asked how the charging machine works.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HALL answered  that EVs  have  adapters similar  to ones  on                                                               
laptop  chargers.   She added  that different  adapters could  be                                                               
used to adjust to the outlet's voltage.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
11:19:21 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. HALL  continued to slide 5  and stated that EVs  have between                                                               
80 and 500  miles of range.   She pointed out that  the lower end                                                               
models are older models, such as  the Nissan Leaf, and they would                                                               
have  less  range.    Newer   EVs  are  being  made  with  larger                                                               
batteries,  and  this helps  compensate  for  the loss  of  range                                                               
experienced  during cold  weather conditions.   She  said that  1                                                               
gallon of gasoline is approximately  the equivalent of 32.3 kWhs.                                                               
She  added  that her  husband  drives  a  vehicle with  a  64-kWh                                                               
battery  that needs  charging "every  couple of  days," and  this                                                               
means it  uses approximately  only 2 gallons  of gas  during this                                                               
time.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
11:22:11 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  RAUSCHER asked  how far  a fully  loaded electric  tractor                                                               
would be able to travel on a cold day.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HALL expressed  uncertainty concerning  the exact  number of                                                               
miles,  and  she suggested  that  it  would  be in  the  hundreds                                                               
because  of the  size  of  the battery.    She  added that  Tesla                                                               
estimates a range  of 500 miles in California, but  40 percent of                                                               
this range could be lost because of cold weather in Alaska.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
11:24:21 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX asked  how  long it  takes  to recharge  the                                                               
battery of an electric semitruck.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS. HALL  answered that on  a level 2  machine, such as  the ones                                                               
owned by  ReCharge Alaska,  it would take  seven or  eight hours.                                                               
She  added  that  technology  is improving  for  the  purpose  of                                                               
decreasing the  time it  would take to  charge a  larger vehicle.                                                               
In  response  to  a  follow-up  question,  she  stated  that  the                                                               
substation  would  determine whether  a  grid  would be  able  to                                                               
handle larger charging machines.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX  asked whether  ReCharge Alaska  has received                                                               
an estimate from  Golden Valley Electric as to how  much its grid                                                               
would be affected by people switching to EVs.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HALL  answered that  ReCharge  Alaska  has not  received  an                                                               
estimate; however, she added that  ReCharge Alaska does work with                                                               
the utilities  to ensure that it  will not do something  to cause                                                               
issues  with  the  grid.    She  added  that  the  developers  of                                                               
residential areas follow the same principle.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
11:30:47 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
KRIS HALL, Co-founder, ReCharge  Alaska, added that Golden Valley                                                               
Electric has  sent out a memo  stating that it would  have enough                                                               
power for the Fairbanks area, even  if everyone were to switch to                                                               
EVs.  As  more people start to use EVs,  he expressed the opinion                                                               
that each utility would have work to do for the transition.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
11:32:24 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX  asked whether  ReCharge Alaska was  aware of                                                               
Golden  Valley Electric's  statement  that  the intertie  between                                                               
Fairbanks and Healy was already near capacity.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. HALL  responded that he was  not aware of the  statement.  He                                                               
added  that  he is  confident  that  utilities will  continue  to                                                               
upgrade their infrastructures.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
11:33:56 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SCHRAGE  asked  whether there  is  technology  to                                                               
balance peak and off-peak charging hours.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR.  HALL  answered  that  Juneau is  currently  the  only  place                                                               
participating in  off-peak hour  charging.   He added  that there                                                               
are only  approximately 2,000  EVs in  the state  of Alaska.   He                                                               
stated that many  EVs have settings that can be  changed based on                                                               
peak hours for charging.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
11:36:27 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HALL continued  to slide  6 and  addressed frequently  asked                                                               
questions regarding EVs in Alaska.   She reiterated that EVs work                                                               
well in  Alaska, including  electric trucks  on the  North Slope.                                                               
She  stated that  the  time  it takes  to  charge  a vehicle  has                                                               
several dependent  factors.   As time goes  on and  more charging                                                               
machines  are installed,  she suggested  that  the likelihood  of                                                               
having to wait for a fast charger would decrease.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
11:38:55 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK  asked whether there are  adapters so that                                                               
an EV could be plugged into the  same outlet used to keep the car                                                               
battery alive during the winter.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HALL  answered  that this  infrastructure  exists;  however,                                                               
additional  infrastructure would  be necessary  if an  individual                                                               
wants to charge  their vehicle at a faster rate.   In response to                                                               
a  follow-up  question,  she  stated  that  most  of  the  grants                                                               
available are for charging stations build every 50 miles.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARRICK,  if the  driver  were  stuck in  a  cold                                                               
place, asked whether an EV could be run while charging.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. HALL  answered that  the amount  of power  needed to  run the                                                               
cabin of the  vehicle is insignificant compared to  the amount of                                                               
power it  takes to  move the  vehicle while  driving.   She added                                                               
that she  has had personal  experience with charging  and running                                                               
an EV in very cold conditions.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
11:45:31 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WRIGHT asked  whether there  are any  issues with                                                               
starting an EV in cold conditions.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. HALL  answered that the  battery management system  keeps the                                                               
battery at  a temperature that  allows the vehicle to  be powered                                                               
on at  any time, although  this can  result in the  battery being                                                               
drained while the vehicle is off.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
11:46:28 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HALL  stated  that  many   aspects  of  vehicle  maintenance                                                               
necessary for  a vehicle with  an internal combustion  engine are                                                               
not necessary for  an EV.  She  continued to slide 7  and slide 8                                                               
and gave  a brief history  of ReCharge  Alaska.  The  company was                                                               
founded because  of a lack of  EV infrastructure in Alaska.   She                                                               
said  that  ReCharge  Alaska  began   with  old  Nissan  charging                                                               
machines  and has  upgraded  to  newer ones,  as  the older  ones                                                               
became  unsupported.    She  stated   that  ReCharge  Alaska  has                                                               
expanded  to Healy  and  along the  Richardson  Highway in  Delta                                                               
Junction  and Glenallen.   She  stated  that one  of the  biggest                                                               
challenges  ReCharge Alaska  had faced  in the  beginning was  to                                                               
charge  by kWh  because of  regulations.   She  stated that  this                                                               
caused charging to be more expensive during the winter.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
11:51:08 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. HALL  added that  there have been  other challenges,  such as                                                               
weather  and areas  with  poor  cell phone  coverage.   For  this                                                               
reason, ReCharge Alaska  machines have credit card  readers.  She                                                               
continued  to  slide 9  and  slide  10  and  stated that  the  EV                                                               
infrastructure is  continuing to  grow in Alaska.   She  noted an                                                               
additional $52 million  in grant opportunities in  Alaska for the                                                               
building of EV infrastructure.  Using  a chart found on slide 10,                                                               
she gave a  comparison between charging by the minute  and by kWh                                                               
using a  Chevy Bolt and a  Tesla Model Y.   She said that  if net                                                               
metering became available to ReCharge  Alaska, solar panels could                                                               
be used at charging stations.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
11:57:52 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. HALL added that because of  cell phone coverage and access to                                                               
smart  phones, it  is important  to consider  having credit  card                                                               
readers at all charging stations.   The importance of direct sale                                                               
for EVs is that  it means Alaskans will not have  to go through a                                                               
third  party  in order  to  purchase  one.    She said  that  EVs                                                               
currently do  not pay any  road tax, as that  tax is tied  to the                                                               
sale of gasoline.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
12:00:15 PM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY  asked for clarification on  the direct sale                                                               
of EVs.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. HALL answered that it means  that there are no Tesla dealers,                                                               
and to  buy a vehicle from  Tesla means an individual  would have                                                               
to  buy it  directly from  the company.   She  added that  she is                                                               
unaware of any potential resale restrictions.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
12:01:41 PM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked  who is financing the  capital costs of                                                               
ReCharge Alaska.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HALL answered  that it  is  self-financed other  than a  few                                                               
small grants from Golden Valley Electric.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
12:02:38 PM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  RAUSCHER asked  what the  battery life  expectancy is  for                                                               
EVs.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. HALL  answered that both of  her EVs have a  battery warranty                                                               
of eight years.   She added that batteries can  last much longer,                                                               
and they  can be  used for  other purposes, even  if they  can no                                                               
longer propel a vehicle forward.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
12:06:25 PM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR RAUSCHER asked how many EVs are in Alaska.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HALL answered  that  there are  approximately  1,700 EVs  in                                                               
Alaska,  not  including hybrid  vehicles.    She added  that  the                                                               
growth rate for  new EVs in Alaska is currently  close to 100 per                                                               
month.   In response to  a follow-up question, she  expressed the                                                               
belief  that people  are not  giving  much thought  to the  extra                                                               
mechanics  involved for  a  hybrid vehicle.    She expressed  the                                                               
belief that people  are more hesitant about fully  EVs because of                                                               
the sparseness of EV infrastructure in Alaska.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
12:10:13 PM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no further business before the committee, the House                                                                 
Special Committee on Energy meeting was adjourned at 12:10 p.m.                                                                 

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
House Energy Committee Recharge Alaska.pdf HENE 3/9/2023 11:00:00 AM
ReCharge Alaska