The City of Moab is moving into the fast lane with new options for drivers of electric vehicles. Through a $50,000 grant from Rocky Mountain Power’s Plug-In Electric Vehicle Program, the City of Moab has installed 10 level 2 electric vehicle charging stations at five locations throughout the community.
Moab Mayor Emily Niehaus said the new charging stations are one way to help foster energy efficiency in the Moab community.
“It’s another step that the city can take to encourage the use of alternative fuels in our community,” Niehaus said. “I’m proud of our sustainability director Rosemarie Russo’s efforts in bringing this and other grants to our city to be able to lead the charge to be a more sustainable and resilient community.”
The new charging stations are located at Moab Springs Ranch, 1266 N. U.S. Highway 191; Adventure Inn, 512 N. Main St.; ACT Campground, 1536 S. Mill Creek Drive; the Moab Golf Course, 2705 East Bench Rd.; and the Center Street Gym, 203 E. Center St.
At level 2 stations, a vehicle can be fully charged in four- to six-hours.
“The charging station initiative is part of an effort to transform the region’s transportation system by incentivizing the development of geographically dispersed charging infrastructure, increased energy security through reduced petroleum usage, and the implementation of reliable alternative transportation,” Russo said.
Plug-in electric vehicles can help substantially improve air quality because they have zero, or very little, tailpipe emissions, Russo said. Conventional vehicles produce carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
Alternative transportation also provides multiple benefits, such as cutting fuel expenditures, extending vehicle life, creating U.S. jobs and improving health.
“As local sources of electricity continue to get cleaner in the future, the environmental benefits will tilt even more in their favor,” Russo said. “Widespread vehicle electrification across the country could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 430 million metric tons and 550 million metric tons annually by 2050. In a recent study, UDOT recorded an average of 13,000 vehicles at the intersection of Main and Center streets. If 1 percent of those vehicles were electric, an average of 124,800 pounds — 62 tons — of air pollution could be avoided locally each year.”
For more information about this and other sustainability programs, contact Russo at rrusso@moabcity.org or Lisa J. Church at lchurch@moabcity.org.
Five locations designated across city
