Electric Vehicle charging station in Port Orford, Oregon.
Credit: Erika Lundahl.

The West Coast Electric Highway—one of the longest electrified corridors in the world—is demonstrating that electric vehicles are here for the long haul.

In 2008, the West Coast states of California, Oregon, Washington and the province of British Columbia all recognized a simple, but alarming fact: western North America was experiencing significant population growth. That meant tens of thousands more vehicles on the road, producing more climate change-causing greenhouse gases and lowering air quality across the whole region.

To prepare for that outcome, they laid out a shared vision in two 2008 agreements for an alternative fuel corridor along I-5 and Highway 99 to promote the use of biofuels, hybrids, electric or zero-emission vehicles, and hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Federal funding from The EV Project helped kickstart the effort and the first charging station on the West Coast Electric Highway was opened in 2011.

“The focus is to give electric vehicle drivers a unique and consistent driving experience,” says Tonia Buell, a project development manager with […]