Flathead Electric switches gears, plans for level two charging station in Libby

Libby is getting a level three electric vehicle charging station, it’s just not going in at the chamber of commerce building.

Late last year, representatives of Flathead Electric Cooperative unveiled an effort to secure funding for a level three station, which allows for faster charging, in Libby. The dollars would come, via the state Department of Natural Resources, from a massive settlement with automobile giant Volkswagen.

At the time, utility representatives hoped to place the station, if they were lucky enough to be selected for the money, near the Libby Chamber of Commerce building along U.S. Highway 2. One of six stations in a regional network, cooperative officials hoped it would encourage electric vehicle owners to travel via Libby to Glacier National Park, secure in knowledge they could recharge en route.

City councilors enthusiastically backed the proposal, agreeing in December to craft a letter of support for the project.

Back before city council on June 7, Teri Rayome-Kelly of Flathead Electric Cooperative announced that the project had been approved. But officials with the utility agreed to pass on it so that another local applicant further down on the list could secure the funding.

“The reason we opted out [is because] the next entity in line makes much more sense than us,” she told city councilors. “There is a level three going into Libby and Kalispell, but it's not us. I can’t share [the details] yet because they’re still going through the process of going through federal approval.”

Instead, the cooperative pitched erecting a level two charging station beside the chamber of commerce building. Rayome-Kelly said the station could be expanded were demand to grow.

“If we find it is a great thing and it’s being used a lot, we will have the option of putting another in there,” she said of the proposal.

She asked for, and received, approval to lease land near the chamber for the charging station.

“Little old Libby, moving up,” said Mayor Brent Teske after city council voted unanimously to approve the agreement. City Councilor Kristin Smith made the motion and City Councilor Brian Zimmerman offered a second.

Level three stations, also known as DC fast charging, can significantly recharge an electric vehicle battery in between 15 to 45 minutes, according to J.D Power. These stations are seen as a key to making long road trips more practical for electric vehicle owners.

Level two stations, which are much more common in the U.S., add about 10 to 20 miles of range per hour, according to Vox.com. A level one charge comes from plugging an electric vehicle in at home. It takes about an hour of charging to add four to six miles of range via level one.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are about 42,572 public charging stations in the country. By contrast, according to Vox, there are about 115,000 gas stations in the U.S.

Zimmerman wondered about upgrading the station at the chamber if the demand emerged.

“What I can tell you is there a significant cost difference,” she said of a level three charger. But Rayome-Kelly did not rule it out completely.

In the meantime, she said the utility would begin ordering materials as soon as the city agreed to the lease. Work on the charging station could be done by August, she said.

“We’re just waiting for you guys,” she said.