Rosalia charging station commissioned

Rendell Farley, Avista’s program manager of electric transportation, poses with the recently installed electric vehicle charging station in Rosalia.

Motorists may not be able to fuel with gas at Rosalia’s former Texaco Station anymore, but thanks to Avista, they can fuel their vehicles with electricity.

Rosalia officially became the first community in Whitman County to have an electric vehicle (EV) charging station last week. Avista Utilities, which installed a slow charger and a DC Fast Charger at the former gas station, commissioned the electric station Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Mayor Nanette Konishi said she was pleased with the turnout.

“It went beautifully,” she said. “It quit raining for a while, and people hung around a lot longer than I expected them to.”

Approximately 30 attended.

“It went really well,” said Paul Kimmell, Avista’s business and public affairs representative. “There were several local people, and some EV users as well.”

Joining those in attendance were three Teslas, a Nissan Leaf, a Chevy Volt and a Toyota Prius, all of which were plugged in at the station during the event at one point or another.

“It was a good turnout of electric vehicles,” said Kimmell. “Everyone was plugging in and testing the equipment.”

Konishi said she has been happy with the equipment so far.

“I’ve seen it being used, and I thought, ‘yes!’” she said.

The charging stations are expected to draw motorists into Rosalia.

Kimmell said WSDOT will soon install directional signs on Highway 195 to alert motorists to the station.

“Hopefully this week,” he said.

Use of the slow charger is free, and the DC Fast Charger costs 30 cents per minute. A 15-minute charge would cost $4.50.

Kimmell said there is a smartphone application through which electric vehicle owners can download locations of charging stations in the region, and it also allows them to pay for the charger use.

“You can do it all electronically,” he said.

Rosalia was chosen as one of the pilot communities for Avista’s EV project, which is a two-year pilot during which Avista plans to install seven electric charging stations at strategic locations – three of them being DC Fast Chargers. Kimmell said Rosalia was chosen because it is about halfway between Pullman and Spokane.

The company next plans a station in Pullman at the WSU Visitor’s Center.

“We’re working on a site agreement with the City of Pullman,” he said, noting the company hopes to have that station ready in the late spring or early summer.

He also said Palouse has submitted an application for a level two charger, and Avista is looking at Highway 26 for possible locations as well.

“Going forward we would like to look at building out west on Highway 26,” he said. “There’s a lot of no man’s land out there.”

Kimmell listed LaCrosse and Washtucna as locations of interest to Avista. He said the locations would be strategic because several people in western Washington own electric vehicles.

Kimmell said one hope of the EV program is to aid communities in Whitman County with progressive development.

“I love my Whitman County communities,” he said. “It takes people that believe in these communities and who ignore the naysayers. We’re hoping to help with progressive forward looking.”

Mayor Konishi shared a success story from the charging station with the Gazette.

“A young man came in to town, saw it and went into city hall and asked about it because he is interested in locating his business here,” she said.

Konishi said the individual had already been thinking of Rosalia as a place to locate, and while the charging station was not initially a factor in his decision, she said it is helping him to see the community as one that is fostering growth.

“It was proof that his sense was on track,” she said. “You get one thing going in town, and it gets everyone else stirred up.”

Kimmell said he was happy to hear that story.

“That’s exactly what we’re hoping for,” he said.

Konishi said she is excited to see the impact the charging station and other efforts in town have on the community.

“We’re very excited about the future,” she said. “It just all feels like it’s happening now, and it’s not just a dream.”