Help Green All Of Washington State’s Highways In 90 Days!

It’s official; Sun Country Highway (http://suncountryhighway.com/) is coming to the US, beginning with a goal of GREENING 100% of Washington state’s highways in 90 Days! Plans are to move this project forward rapidly. The Sun Country Model removes many of the factors that have stalled so many other projects. The model for the US will be the same model that has propelled Canada to be a world leader in high-powered level 2 EV Charging infrastructure, with the placement of 1,000 high powered L2 J1772 charging stations across Canada in under 2 years, without government funding! The goal in WA state is to “green” all state highways in 90 days, focusing on 26 locations across the state in phase 1. The intent is to have additional phases of the project to follow, to fill in with redundant stations along these routes. Kent Rathwell, Sun Country Highway and Jack Anderson with Plug-In North Central WA are spearheading the effort to find host locations.

One of the goals of this project is to also do the US rollout without any government funding! Kent "paid it forward" by funding Sun Country Highway, covering 95% of all Canadian highways and creating a model of economic, environmental and social sustainability across Canada. This model allows governments to save their money, increase services and pay down debt, while accelerating the sustainable transportation movement.

What is needed the most at this point are sponsors for purchasing the charging stations in the spirit of “paying it forward”. Initially the fund raising goal is $52,000 for Phase 1 to cover the purchase of charging stations, ranging from 50-80A’s. If we can secure this funding in the next 10 days, it is Sun Country Highway’s goal to secure commitments of locations within 90 days and have installation complete by the end of this year!

The intent of Sun Country Highway is to provide the highest powered charging stations that all makes and models of EV’s can charge from. The actual amperage of a given charging station will vary based on host constraints and for the initial roll out, the plan is to use mostly 70A continuous capable units, while a solution is chosen to allow Tesla Roadsters and Nissan Leafs to accept a charge from a full 80A unit.

Progress in finding committed locations and sponsor contributions will be announced by the September 3rd launch of the E-Mazing Race. The E-Mazing Race (http://e-mazingrace.com/) will highlight the completion of the world’s longest electric highway, crossing Canada.

To sponsor a high powered charging station ($1,999) you can either do so directly through Sun Country Highway (http://suncountryhighway.com/chargers/sponsor-a-charger/) or send a check written out to Plug-In North Central WA, a tax deductible organization, to: Plug-In NCW, PO Box 1064, Wenatchee, WA 98807-1064. You may also sponsor part of a charging station or multiple charging stations. If a lower amperage, less expensive unit is required for install at a site, rest assured that all remaining funds will be put toward additional charging stations.

In addition to hosting a station at my house, I have also committed an additional $1,000 toward one of the additional 26 locations. Please give what you can!

Sincerely,
George Whiteside
Shoreline WA

You might ask, so, what's in it for Leaf owners? to that question I'd point to the reports of other charging stations having issues with charging the 6.6 kW Leafs and say, just imagine a 10kW Leaf then a 15 kW Leaf, even a 20kW leaf, with high powered J1772 the Leafs will be future proofed. this network will augment the network of DC fast chargers, and while not quite as fast, are capable of delivering a pretty fast charge and will not require retrofitting down the line, all at a fraction of the cost of DC fast chargers, meaning they can be put in quickly and in great number. Also by going with a universal plug, all car owners can contribute and know it's going to benefit everyone ultimately. The other important aspect of the Sun Country Highway network is that it will add much needed redundancy to the current ones, providing peace of mind in the event that a DC fast charger is down, for instance.

we are already up to $10K in pledges. let me know privately or on this thread if you plan to or have contributed so I can add you to the tally!

George, just a couple of thoughts:

1) include a lower 20-30 amp version with each 80 amp station. Once you get over here into Eastern WA, I think Volts and PiPs probably outnumber BEVs 10 to 1. It seems like a waste of a fast 80 amp station to have a 2011 Leaf, Volt or PiP blocking it, especially since they would need 4 hrs or better for any useful range.

2) Do you know the initial locations? Given that most of the west side is covered with QCs (and Tesla will have an adapter) and other L2s, will we see anything that connects the "triangle" (Spokane, Tri-Cities, Seattle)? I've got at least 4 locations that would be very useful, but I can't see significant use, so as a business prospect it's a lose-lose situation.

Jack is working on the Map. lower amperage stations are likely to be added also in some locations, at least over time. High amperage is going to be the main focus, and yes, it may turn out that 3.3 kW Leaf plug up the stations, I guess we'll have to see how that goes. So far it's worked out well in Canada. I'll post the link to the updated map as soon as I get it.

Reddy said:

George, just a couple of thoughts:

1) include a lower 20-30 amp version with each 80 amp station. Once you get over here into Eastern WA, I think Volts and PiPs probably outnumber BEVs 10 to 1. It seems like a waste of a fast 80 amp station to have a 2011 Leaf, Volt or PiP blocking it, especially since they would need 4 hrs or better for any useful range.

2) Do you know the initial locations? Given that most of the west side is covered with QCs (and Tesla will have an adapter) and other L2s, will we see anything that connects the "triangle" (Spokane, Tri-Cities, Seattle)? I've got at least 4 locations that would be very useful, but I can't see significant use, so as a business prospect it's a lose-lose situation.

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OK, so the map can be viewed here: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/show...-Of-Washington-State%92s-Highways-In-90-Days!. there has been some reluctance to show the plan before we have secured all the funding or nailed down sites so as not to over promise, but I think it's valuable for everyone to see what the thinking is so far, knowing it's a work in progress, contingent ultimately on funding... This is by no means set in stone.

If we get enough sponsors it can all happen in one phase, if not, then it will happen in multiple phases. based on pledges so far, we are in the neighborhood of $15K+, which is great, making it about $37K to go! a few big sponsors and this will be a synch, then again, every little bit counts :~)

make pledges on-line at http://suncountryhighway.com/charger...sor-a-charger/ or or send a check of any amount written out to Plug-In North Central WA, a tax deductible organization, to: Plug-In NCW, PO Box 1064, Wenatchee, WA 98807-1064

If you have any questions, feel free to post here or PM me, if I don't have the answer I will either get it or get you in touch with the one's who do.

Onward and upward!

George

George: Thanks for the update. Just a few comments, not to be picky, but as suggestions. Over here in Eastern WA, we'll be happy with just about anything. But.... you've got 4 stations between Selah and Grandview. That's really nice but we'd be happy with ONE near Sunnyside. Maybe you've got several wineries willing to sponsor stations, that's great, but the money could better be spent spreading things out a bit.

There are already Nissan dealers in Yakima, Pasco and Walla Walla who let people charge, plus a Ford dealership in Prosser (but they probably won't let a non-customer charge based on Plugshare). Similar argument against more stations in Walla Walla, Moses Lake, Wenatchee, Kennewick and Ellensburg (already showing on Plugshare) so why duplicate? As for Western WA, I would focus on the coast more than the I-5 corridor which already has stations.

As for missing locations, why nothing at Vantage (is that because a Tesla Supercharger may go there?), George, Connell (absolutely needed for a Leaf to attempt Pasco to Spokane), anything on White, Chinook and North Cascade Passes, Coulee City, Arlington/Darrington, 101 West of Hood Canal, Port Townsend and south. I could probably go on but have certainly overstayed my welcome.

Bottom line: Thanks for doing this. It is nearly impossible for a Leaf to go out of town over here in the sticks. Anything you can do to put a charging station about 50 miles from the Tri-Cities will be greatly appreciated (e.g., Sunnyside, Touchet/Lowden, Connell, Mattawa, Umatilla, hmmm, I'm starting to see a pattern here, these are NOT the largest metropolitan areas).

George: thanks for all your work on this. I just sent in a check for $100, literally all I can spare right now. If you guys extend this thing with more phases I can definitely give more over the coming months.

Down the road I'd like to see some spots on highway 20 between Burlington and Winthrop. It's such a beautiful drive, although I'd hesitate to make that trip right now, maybe in a next gen Leaf!

Hey just a thought, but has anybody approached Nissan about this? I know they are spending a lot of money to put up their own L3 network, but this would be a much cheaper way for them to open up a lot more highways to EV travel. If not corporate, then maybe local dealerships in Easter/Central WA. They may have put in a charger on site, but they would probably sell a lot more Leafs of they could make it so that people could travel more than 80 miles from the dealership.

Also, does anybody have any connections in Olympia? I'd like to see politicians put their money where their mouths are on this issue. I'm imagining the campaigning possibilities if you were to put up a sign on a charger in Eastern WA saying it was donated by a particular party caucus, with no taxpayer money?

Based on what sponsors have pledged, we are at about $25K, almost halfway to our goal for Phase 1! Thank You to all who have contributed, it’s taking more than 10 days but we have made quick progress towards the goal!!

Points of detail:
- Jack and Kent wanted me to make sure and tell everyone that if you want to make a tax deductible sponsorship to the Sun Country Initiative through Plug-In North Central Washington (PNCW), to make sure and note that it is for the Sun Country Initiative in the memo section of your check and if possible, to also send me an email so I can track progress for announcements. If you do not specify Sun Country when sending funds to Plug-In NCW, funds will go to placing stations in North Central Washington by PNCW.
- If you have already sent in funds but did not specify, please let me know as we want to make sure the funds go where they were intended to go.
- If you sponsor a whole station or multiple stations, you may also ask for an inscription to be placed on the station, which may be placed by PNCW or Sun Country.
- Also, some folks have come up with some great questions, which we figured we might as well share with everyone.
1. “Which entity is ultimately responsible for selecting final locations for chargers?” Funds that go to PNCW but that are not specified for Sun Country will go toward stations in North Central Washing, determined by PNCW. Funds ear marked for Sun Country Highway will go toward Stations throughout the state, determined by Sun Country, some of which may also go in the North Central area as needed, in cooperation with PNCW.
2. “When will the charging equipment be purchased?” Charging stations will be ordered immediately upon receipt of payment.
3. “Funding, location selection, installation: will progress be reported regularly in some manner or in some public fashion?” We are tracking pledges as they are made known to us and funds as they actually come in. Progress will be reported publicly through this and other forums.
4.”Are there any other risks or barriers that would prevent installation and successful operation of chargers that are funded or purchased?” There are always hurdles which come up, but Sun Country has proven that they can get around them quickly in Canada and the USA should be very similar.
5. “Permitting or other legal issues?” Anything else that could inhibit, delay, or otherwise affect a successful outcome is a risk to any project. Installation of EV chargers is going to happen one way or another. It is our goal to complete installation in 90 days from reaching the financial goals set in each stage as we move forward.

We are excited to get going and make this happen!!

Please spread the word and give what you can. To sponsor a high powered charging station ($1,999) you can either do so directly through Sun Country Highway (http://suncountryhighway.com/chargers/sponsor-a-charger/) or send a check written out to Plug-In North Central WA, a tax deductible organization, with “Sun Country” in the memo section of the check to: Plug-In NCW, PO Box 1064, Wenatchee, WA 98807-1064. You may also sponsor part of a charging station or multiple charging stations. If a lower amperage, less expensive unit is required for install at a site, rest assured that all remaining funds will be put toward additional charging station equipment.

George, thanks again. One more question: Who pays for electricity, insurance, maintenance, repairs, etc? Is this the responsibility of the host business? I'm hoping to get a couple of businesses to agree and will let you know via PM if/when I do.

the host pays for install and electricity. Since it's L2, even high Level L2 vs 3 phase DC, the install is much less and the electricity charges are typically nominal compared to the perk for business. 80A L2 goes up to 20kWh's which is pretty fantastic given how much cheaper it is overall. Businesses can know that they are offering the fastest L2 out there, drawing the broadest consumer base!

Reddy said:

George, thanks again. One more question: Who pays for electricity, insurance, maintenance, repairs, etc? Is this the responsibility of the host business? I'm hoping to get a couple of businesses to agree and will let you know via PM if/when I do.

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sorry for not replying sooner, thanks for the contribution, everything counts! your suggestions will also be noted!
George

gigglehertz said:

George: thanks for all your work on this. I just sent in a check for $100, literally all I can spare right now. If you guys extend this thing with more phases I can definitely give more over the coming months.

Down the road I'd like to see some spots on highway 20 between Burlington and Winthrop. It's such a beautiful drive, although I'd hesitate to make that trip right now, maybe in a next gen Leaf!

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Washington state is just about as far away from North Carolina as you can get, but:
A $ 100 contribution is in the mail.
The guvernmint is not going to provide the infrastructure needed to make EV:s truly practical for the mass market.
The plug-in manufacturers.... Well, your guess is as good as mine. Nissan invests 6 BILLION in the Leaf technology, Chevy, Toyota and other plug-in makers X amount $.... But they fail in the easiest part of all, making sure that there's a smattering of 240 V plugs throughout town!

Nice work, Good Luck Suncountry! You've got the right idea and maybe one day you'll spread it to this neck of the woods too!

Bo

GaslessInSeattle said:

Please spread the word and give what you can. To sponsor a high powered charging station ($1,999) you can either do so directly through Sun Country Highway (http://suncountryhighway.com/chargers/sponsor-a-charger/) or send a check written out to Plug-In North Central WA, a tax deductible organization, with “Sun Country” in the memo section of the check to: Plug-In NCW, PO Box 1064, Wenatchee, WA 98807-1064. You may also sponsor part of a charging station or multiple charging stations. If a lower amperage, less expensive unit is required for install at a site, rest assured that all remaining funds will be put toward additional charging station equipment.

Click to expand...

Very cool project and I want to contribute, but do not have enough to sponsor an entire station.
Is PNCW set up for electronic payments via pay pal ?

With 30-40 THOUSAND Students and Staff in the Pullman/Moscow area, I'm amazed there's not a charger location around there.....

Driving up to Colfax isn't really that much of an option....

i'm working on an exciting update on this project, probably out on Monday. PINCW can do Square payments, even over the phone, not sure about pay pal. for contributions intended to go toward the state wide project it is critical that the funds be earmarked for Sun Country, otherwise they will go towards the placement stations in North Central WA, which is not a bad thing by any means, people just need to intentions clear for the book keepers.

KJD said:

GaslessInSeattle said:

Please spread the word and give what you can. To sponsor a high powered charging station ($1,999) you can either do so directly through Sun Country Highway (http://suncountryhighway.com/chargers/sponsor-a-charger/) or send a check written out to Plug-In North Central WA, a tax deductible organization, with “Sun Country” in the memo section of the check to: Plug-In NCW, PO Box 1064, Wenatchee, WA 98807-1064. You may also sponsor part of a charging station or multiple charging stations. If a lower amperage, less expensive unit is required for install at a site, rest assured that all remaining funds will be put toward additional charging station equipment.

Click to expand...

Very cool project and I want to contribute, but do not have enough to sponsor an entire station.
Is PNCW set up for electronic payments via pay pal ?

Click to expand...

Kent Rathwell, the found of Sun Country, is going to love hearing about this! He's all about paying it forward. we have a Canadian who has sponsored a station for WA as well as an Oregon Resident, I like to call it "enlightened self interest"!

Cheers!

BoHenriksson said:

Washington state is just about as far away from North Carolina as you can get, but:
A $ 100 contribution is in the mail.
The guvernmint is not going to provide the infrastructure needed to make EV:s truly practical for the mass market.
The plug-in manufacturers.... Well, your guess is as good as mine. Nissan invests 6 BILLION in the Leaf technology, Chevy, Toyota and other plug-in makers X amount $.... But they fail in the easiest part of all, making sure that there's a smattering of 240 V plugs throughout town!

Nice work, Good Luck Suncountry! You've got the right idea and maybe one day you'll spread it to this neck of the woods too!

Bo

Click to expand...

I have some great news! after pressing the charging station manufacturer (and Nissan and Tesla), a fix has been announced which will allow all EV’s to charge from the 80A (100A nominal) version of the charging station, allowing every make and model (including Tesla Roadsters and Nissan Leaf’s!) to charge at their maximum rate!! I have been arguing all along that having one main type of charging station to focus on will help reduce confusion and magnify support for this project. Help prove me right! :~)

As a result, Sun Country has decided to extend the fund raising deadline for phase 1 to September 30th. After September 30th contributions will still be accepted, but they will go to phase 2 as the main focus switches to the location and installation of phase 1 stations.

The other exciting news, is that Kent and Jack tell me that about $25K has been received, which is very close to what has been pledged so far, all in a matter of weeks! More is coming in each day. Contributions have come in from as far away as Canada, North Carolina and Oregon. It’s exciting to see support from other states and even other countries toward this groundbreaking project to rapidly deploy a free charging network across Washington state, with the intent of spreading it across the country.

So, if you would like to contribute to phase 1 of this project, you still have a chance. The more units that can be purchased for phase 1, the greater the overall momentum will be for completing the whole state. The half way point towards the goal for phase one has almost been reached. So please give what you can whether it’s a large lump sum, a single station or any other amount, everything helps! As one contributor said “The government is not going to provide the infrastructure needed to make EV’s truly practical for the mass market.” I truly believe it is up to us to make this happen and I think we can, but only if enough of us see the vision and contribute.

Please spread the word. To sponsor a high powered charging station ($1,999) you can do so directly through Sun Country Highway (http://suncountryhighway.com/chargers/sponsor-a-charger/). If you require charitable tax status for your contribution, contact me for details. I can also tell you how to sponsor part of a charging station. Also note, if a lower amperage, less expensive unit is required for install at a site, rest assured that all remaining funds will be put toward additional charging station equipment.

Gasless:

I tried to send you a PM but something's not working. I've got another business who has agreed to install a station. Also, I haven't heard from Kent on the 1st business. I'll get a donation sent this week.

Reddy said:

Gasless:

I tried to send you a PM but something's not working. I've got another business who has agreed to install a station. Also, I haven't heard from Kent on the 1st business. I'll get a donation sent this week.

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ok, great! we will be moving forward with what we have raised at the end of the month.