Governor Steve Sisolak and Mark Yardley, Owner of Eagle’s Landing, unveil the new charging station sign. Photo by Teri Nehrenz
Nevada Electric Vehicle (EV) owners no longer must worry about making a choice when it comes to clean energy standards and traveling more than 50 miles to a destination; the average EV gets about 100 miles per full charge and there’s always the trip back to factor in.
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, public officials from both city and state, business owners and community members gathered at Eagle’s Landing for a special dedication.
Governor Sisolak was proud to announce the dedication of Interstate 15 as Nevada’s and the Intermountain West’s first federally designated interstate highway electric vehicle corridor.
“This federal designation is not just a first for, but the first interstate designation in the Intermountain West,” said Governor Sisolak. The collaboration between Nevada’s key agencies, utilities and private industry in electrifying Nevada’s highways pave the way forward to transportation decarbonization. It also accelerates the buildout of an Intermountain West Electric Vehicle Corridor where Nevada will serve as the keystone sate for travel from the Intermountain West to the West Coast and back.”
On Jan. 29, Nevada’s Governor Steve Sisolak charges the first electric car at the new charging stations at Exit 118 Eagle’s Landing. One of many charging stations along I-15 new Electric Vehicle Corridor. Photo by Teri Nehrenz
Charging stations are already in operation, in the process of being built or planned to allow travel from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles and Las Vegas to Reno; the project is looking to be completed by the end of this year.
The ceremony was held at Eagles Landing to kill two birds with one stone. Eagles Landing Owner, Mark Yardly and Overton Power District #5 have partnered with the Governor’s Office of Energy (GOE), Nevada Electric Highway (NEH) and the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) in this clean energy transportation alternative.
Mesquite Mayor Al Litman, Council Members, Chamber Members, Yardly, and Cooper stood by as Governor Sisolak cut the green ribbon in a ceremony for the recently installed charging stations at Eagle’s Landing.
Eagle’s Landing is one of two charging stations in OPD’s service territory, the other is in Overton, NV.
“Overton Power District #5 is proud to bring transportation electrification and innovation to the Virgin and Moapa Valleys to support Nevada’s work to decarbonize its transportation sector and diversify its economy. The two charging locations in OPD5’s service territory brings new economic and tourism opportunities to our businesses and communities, while bringing new, cleaner vehicle options to the residents we serve,” said Cooper.
When complete the NEH will have more than 30 charging station sites across Nevada, securing additional federal electric vehicle corridor designations across its highways.
Teri.
I thought that Walmart put one in a few months ago. I didn’t see any mention
of it at all.
Why don’t they mention the charging stations in Mesquite I know of at least two ?
Mesquite is always left out.
Good Morning George and Lee. Great comments and questions. The short answer to why there was no mention in this article of the Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations at Walmart is that they were not part of the Nevada Electric Highway (NEH) project. Electrify America installed the charging stations at Walmart. Electrify America is a company that owns and manages a network of electric vehicle charging stations throughout the United States. It is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group of America. The charging stations installed at Eagle’s Landing Travel Plaza in Mesquite (where the event was held) and at the Glendale ARCO ampm were funded by a grant received from the Governor’s Office of Energy (GOE). These funds came from a settlement between the United States and Volkswagen after the automaker was caught altering emission tests in their vehicles. The GOE has been working in partnership with local power providers, business owners, state and federal officials in a project called the Nevada Electric Highway (NEH). The purpose of the NEH project is to install EV charging stations in every major highway in the State: I-15, I-80, US 95, US 93, and US 50. Each of the host-sites selected has to meet the criteria established by the GOE, including proximity to the highway, accessibility to restrooms, amenities, open 24/7/365, an outdoor area accessible to the public, to name a few. After the completion of each project, ownership is transferred to the host site. The host site agrees to maintain and keep the stations operational for at least five years. For a significant highway to receive the designation of an Alternative Fuel Corridor, there has to be an EV station every 50 miles from each other. There are now EV stations in Mesquite, Glendale, Las Vegas, and Jean, making I-15 the first EV fuel corridor in the Intermountain West. In Mesquite, we have now several options for EV drivers, with EV charging stations at the Eureka (for customers), at Walmart, and now at Eagle’s Landing Travel Plaza. I hope this information helps, otherwise, please feel free to contact me via email at kbuchhalter@opd5.com or by phone at (702) 346-5710. Keith Buchhalter, Public Affairs, OPD5. “We are not just connecting power, we are connecting communities”.