Northern N.M. charges into the EV future

Leaders don’t wait to react — they begin planning and imagining possibilities. That’s what is happening in Northern New Mexico, with key voices from government, education, tribes, business and utilities beginning to discuss creating a regional plan for an electric vehicle “ecosystem.”

The rough definition? If people want to buy and drive electric cars and trucks — and if state and local governments want to use them in their fleets — drivers must be able to find places to charge their vehicles. And governments, along with the private sector and individuals, have to be ready to make such charging stations available.

The discussion is in its early stages, begun by Kit Carson Electric Cooperative CEO Luís Reyes Jr., first as a Zoom conversation with more than 50 leaders participating. The cooperative is an innovator, known for setting a goal of using solar energy to power daytime use for customers.

Now, Reyes wants to take advantage of the urgency of fighting the climate crisis — electric vehicles reduce greenhouse gases because they don’t run on fossil fuels — while also preparing to use dollars from whatever infrastructure proposals get through Congress.

He wants a regional approach, much as happened in the early days of cars and trucks, when leaders from Santa Fe to Taos and in between discussed how best to build highways and collaborated on routes and funding.

The recent conversation discussed how to build infrastructure for such vehicles — everything from finding out how many exist and need charging to how many stations might be required.

Individuals are buying EVs, but so are cities, counties and the state. Folks can commute to work in their Prius or Leaf. Government workers can use EVs on government business. And buses and other public transportation vehicles can be fueled without the internal combustion engine. There are even electric firetrucks available.

But as with anything “green” in the modern world, there are complications.

A New York Times article last week pointed out that mining likely would have to expand to find the minerals needed to power electric vehicles. A pit is being dug in Nevada in preparation for the first largescale lithium mine in the U.S. in more than a decade. It would provide a domestic supply of this essential ingredient in electric car batteries. Such a mining site is hardly green, with critics pointing to the danger of water supplies being contaminated — perhaps for as long as 300 years.

As Kermit the Frog used to croon, “It’s not easy being green.”

That same story, however, argued EVs still are greener than gasoline-powered ones.

Now, back to building the necessary infrastructure.

Kit Carson Electric Cooperative already operates four charging stations, with more on the way. Some 43 projects are being planned across the state as part of a settlement with Volkswagen over allegations the company lied about its vehicle emissions.

The stations aren’t cheap, with a rapidcharging outlet priced at up to $70,000 and a slower one around $30,000. For buses, such as the North Central Regional Transit District’s Blue Buses, the stations have to be industrial strength and thus, more expensive. Santa Fe has EV charging stations in such places as the Genoveva Chavez Community Center parking lot.

To figure out how many stations will be needed, not only do planners have to figure out how many vehicles are being driven by locals, but they’ll also have to determine whether tourists will be using them when they drive here. What about rental car companies? Will their fleets be changing and adapting? A first step is determining need.

The recent conversation, obviously, is just the beginning. But it’s important to move fast. Car manufacturers are phasing out gasoline-fueled cars and trucks, with General Motors setting 2035 as the year it switches to all battery-powered engines. It’s not if EVs become routine, it’s when.

Can Northern New Mexico become the EV capital of the world, something Reyes believes is possible? Stay plugged in.