ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ENERGY  March 9, 2023 11:00 a.m. DRAFT 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 titled "Electric Vehicles in Alaska" during the presentation "Electric Vehicle Infrastructure." KRIS HALL, Co-founder ReCharge Alaska Anchorage, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the presentation "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 a presentation titled: "Electric Vehicle Infrastructure." 11:02:26 AM SARA HALL, Co-founder, ReCharge Alaska, gave a PowerPoint titled "Electric Vehicles in Alaska" [hard copy included in committee packet]. She began on slides 2 and 3 and stated that the goal of ReCharge Alaska is to make driving electric vehicles more accessible in Alaska. She said that 90 percent of electric vehicle charging happens at home. Electric vehicles usually do not need to be charged on a daily basis. She showed a chart with the different types of electric vehicle 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 would not be located on any fast charging stations due to it being a slow charger. The CHAdeMO and CCS Type 1 chargers are available on ReCharge Alaska machines, while an adapter is available for Tesla electric vehicles. She added that only CCS is being required due to CHAdeMO being phased out. 11:09:06 AM REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT asked what the cost is for using ReCharge Alaska charging stations. MS. HALL answered that some localities require costs to be per minute rather than per kilowatt (kWh), causing discrepancy in prices. She said that ReCharge Alaska charges 60 cents per kWh in locations where they charge by kWh. In response to a follow- up question, she stated that charging at home is cheaper. 11:11:39 AM CHAIR RAUSCHER asked where Ms. Hall lives for the purpose of comparing electric rates. MS. HALL answered south Anchorage. In response to a follow-up question, she stated that the cost of charging an electric vehicle varies 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 outlets take between 1 and 6 days to charge, level 2 outlets takes between 6 and 24 hours, and level 3 outlets take between 18-120 minutes to charge. She added that level 3 chargers continue to become faster and more powerful and are meant for semi-trucks. 11:16:50 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY asked how the charging machine works. MS. HALL answered that electric vehicles have an adapter similar to one an individual would have on their laptop charger. She added that different adapters can be used to adjust to the outlet's voltage. 11:19:21 AM MS. HALL continued to slide 5 and stated that electric vehicles have between 80 and 500 miles of range, although the lower end is made up mostly of older models of the Nisan Leaf. Newer electric vehicles are being made with larger batteries, which help compensate for the loss of range experienced due to cold weather conditions during winter. She said that 1 gallon of gasoline is approximately the equivalent of 32.3 kWh. She added that her husband drives a vehicle with a 64 kWh battery that needs charging "every couple of days," meaning it uses approximately only 2 gallons of gas during that 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 answered that she was unsure of the exact number of miles, but it would be in the hundreds due to the size of the battery. She added that Tesla is estimating 500 miles of range in California, but 40 percent of that range could be lost due to cold weather in Alaska. 11:24:21 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked how long it takes to recharge the battery of an electric semi-truck. MS. HALL answered that at 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 electric vehicles. MS. HALL answered that ReCharge Alaska has not received such as estimate but added that it works with the utilities to ensure that it will not do something that would cause issues with the grid. She added developers of residential areas follow the same principle. 11:30:47 AM KRIS HALL, Co-founder, ReCharge Alaska, added that Golden Valley sent out a memo stating that it would have enough power for the Fairbanks, Alaska area even if everyone living in the area were to switch to an electric vehicle. He added that each utility has some work to do for the transition to electric vehicles as more people start to use them. 11:32:24 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether ReCharge Alaska was aware of Golden Valley stating that the intertie between Fairbanks and Healy, Alaska was already near capacity. MR. HALL answered that it was not. He added that he is confident that the utilities will continue to upgrade their infrastructure. 11:33:56 AM REPRESENTATIVE SCHRAGE asked whether there is technology to balance peak and off-peak charging hours. MR. HALL answered that Juneau, Alaska is currently the only locality participating in off-peak hour charging. He added that there are only approximately 2,000 electric vehicles in the state of Alaska. There are settings on many electric vehicles 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 electric vehicles in Alaska. She reiterated that electric vehicles work well in Alaska, including electric trucks at the North Slope, and that the time it takes to charge a vehicle has several dependent factors. As time goes on and more charging machines are installed, the likelihood of having to wait for a fast charger will decrease. 11:38:55 AM REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK asked whether there is an adapter that can allow for the plugging in of an electric vehicle to the same outlet one might plug their car into to keep the battery alive during the winter. MS. HALL answered that existing infrastructure such as those outlets is already utilized. She added that additional infrastructure is necessary only if an individual wants to charge their vehicle at a faster rate. In response to a follow- up question, she stated that most available grants for charging stations are aimed at building them at least every 50 miles. REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK asked whether it's practical to run an electric vehicle while it is charging if the driver were to be stuck in a cold place. 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 in the course of driving. She added that she has personal experience with charging and running her own electric vehicle in very cold conditions. 11:45:31 AM REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT asked whether there are any issues with starting an electric vehicle 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 electric vehicle. She continued to slides 7 and 8 and gave a brief history of ReCharge Alaska. The company was founded due to a lack of electric vehicle in 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. ReCharge Alaska has expanded to Healy, Alaska, and along the Richardson Highway in Delta Junction and Glenallen. She stated that one of the biggest challenges facing ReCharge Alaska at the beginning was having to charge by kWh due to regulations, which 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 slides 9 and 10 and stated that electric vehicle infrastructure continues to grow in Alaska. There will be an additional $52 million in grant opportunities in Alaska for the building of electric vehicle infrastructure. She gave a comparison between charging by the minute and by kWh using a Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model Y, using a chart found on slide 10. She said that if net metering became available to ReCharge Alaska, it would provide it with an opportunity to use solar panels at its 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 electric vehicles is that it means Alaskans will not have to go through a third party in order to purchase one. She said that electric vehicles 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 electric vehicles. 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 electric vehicles. MS. HALL answered that both of her electric vehicles have a battery warranty of eight years. She added that batteries can last much longer, and that they can be used for other purposes even if they are no longer good enough to propel a vehicle forward. 12:06:25 PM CHAIR RAUSCHER asked how many electric vehicles are in the state of Alaska. MS. HALL answered that there are approximately 1,700 electric vehicles in Alaska, not including hybrid vehicles. She added that the growth rate for new electric vehicles in Alaska is currently close to 100 per month. In response to a follow-up question, she said that she does not believe that people give much thought to the extra mechanics involved in a hybrid vehicle. She added that she believes it is more likely that people are more hesitant about fully electric vehicles due to sparseness of electric vehicle 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.