JACKSON, Wyo. — Beep, beep! It’s National Drive Electric Week.
Running from Sept. 22 to Oct. 1, National Drive Electric Week spotlights electric vehicles (EVs) and the infrastructure that can support them.
The Teton County Treasurer’s Office reports 244 electric vehicles registered in the county. This represents about 0.6% of cars registered in Teton County, a figure just shy of 43,000. The county also hosts 728 hybrid vehicles.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, 840 electric vehicles are registered in the entire state of Wyoming, home to roughly 580,000 people. For comparison, the next most populous state in the U.S. is Vermont, with about 645,000 residents, where more than 5,000 EVs are registered. Montana has more than 3,200 EVs, and Idaho has more than 5,900.
Jackson is home to Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities (YTCC), part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s coalition for advancing alternative fuels, vehicles and transportation. YTCC focuses these efforts in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
“We most certainly do have more EVs registered in Teton County than elsewhere in the state,” YTCC Executive Director Alicia Cox told Buckrail.
Cox, who drives an EV, says that Jackson is a great place to operate EVs.
“It can be done, and people can save money,” she said. “Our electricity is so inexpensive here, and we have such clean electricity. We’re really the perfect location for them.”
Cox said that occasionally she’ll find herself at a four-way stop and notice that all four waiting vehicles are electric.
“There’s certainly a pocket of people that are excited about this,” Cox said.
To support resident and visiting EVs, there are more than 20 EV charging sites in the area, with about 15 locations in town plus three in Teton Village, one in Wilson, one at the airport, one in Grand Teton National Park and one at Lower Valley Energy. A charging site might house multiple charging ports. The Alternative Fuels Data Center counts 58 charging ports in Teton County.
In observance of National Drive Electric Week, YTCC is hosting scheduled ride-and-drives across town, where participants can experience riding in an electric car. The organization will bring its EV to the final People’s Market of the season this Wednesday, Sept. 27.
Earlier this month, YTCC brought renewable diesel to Jackson’s Shell station.
