electrify vehicles & bikes. 

: electrifying mobility and adding EV charging to buildings - from residences to commercial spaces 

EVs + E-Bikes.  An upgraded experience.

Did you know that the transportation sector is responsible for about a third of all U.S. annual emissions, and even more here in Missoula?

​Although the focus of Electrify Missoula is the built environment, there's not doubt we need to electrify everything, including how we move around.

Covered below:

• Batteries, Emissions & The Grid: Local and global data
• Getting EV Ready
• Types of Charging

Oil and gas price volatility got you down? Consider an EV - it's better for your wallet and the planet. Ride along as we tackle several EV myths with local EV owner and driver, Reggie. 

Sources: 

• ​Average miles driven per day, per person in U.S.: bts.gov
• 80% of charging happens at home: energy.gov
• Missoula charging stations: plugshare.com
• Chart showing EV's becoming more cost efficient: dallasfed.org
• Reggie's math: Spreadsheet here
  
• See below for battery & grid data.
  

Impacts: Batteries, Emissions & The Grid

Lots of questions arise about the transition to EVs and the environmental impacts of batteries and the electric grid mix.

The simplest part of this conversation is: if you can transition from a car (any car) to a bike or bus, that's the best climate option. But let's be real, for most of us in Missoula, we depend on a car at least some of the time. 

The next question is, would an e-bike empower you to replace the majority of your car trips with two wheels? If so, an e-bike has less of an environmental impact than an EV.

However, assuming you need a car, an EV is a much better environmental option than a gasoline-powered car, even considering batteries AND our current electric grid mix in Montana. (EVs aren't a perfect solution, though, and we need to continue to demand ethical mining practices and mineral extraction. For more about the impact of batteries in general, check out #5 on our debunking myths page. For more EV myths debunked, dive into this series from The Guardian.)

Check out the graphs and links below for more data on electric vs gas-powered vehicles.

Source: Original graph from Department of Energy, 2023, is no longer available on the government's website. However, the source data still exists at https://greet.anl.gov/publication-c2g_lca_us_ldv (linked to the graph above.)

Source: Department of Energy. Even with Montana's mixed-fuel electricity grid, EVs have much lower annual emissions than all other available vehicles.

Getting "EV Ready" - what to know

First: if you plan to get an e-bike

First. If you have or plan to get an e-bike, you don't need to do anything!  The battery pack plugs into the wall. You are good to go! Yippee! (Watch Abby's story about transitioning to a one-car family and getting a cargo e-bike.)

second: what to know about home charging

Second. If you're a homeowner considering purchasing an EV, you may need to upgrade your electrical system to accommodate at-home charging. What you do depends on what kind of charging you're looking for:

• Level 1 slow charge. These use a standard wall outlet (120V) so no electricians are needed. They are slow, often taking 10+ hours to recharge the typical car battery. But if you're mostly using your EV during the day and can charge at night, these work just fine!

​​

• Level 2 faster charge. These usually require adjustments to your home's electrical system, such as installing dedicated circuits and outlets, and they charge in 4-6 hours.​

More on charging levels below + a few good links:

• Montana DEQ has some basic information here about our state charging plan +.
• PC mag: What to Expect When You Have an EV Charger Installed in Your Home

Third: housing complex / commercial building recs

​Third. if you are planning, building or retrofitting a ​housing complex or commercial building, here are recommendations:

• Be EVSE Capable (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) – A parking spaces is EVSE Capable if it is provided with conduit sized for a minimum 40-amp, 208 / 240-volt dedicated branch circuit from an electrical panelboard with sufficient physical space to accommodate a minimum 40-amp, dual-pol circuit breaker.


• The conduit is a PVC pipe that is the right size to allow for the proper wires to be run through from the electrical panel, in the building or outdoor box, that can connect to the charging station and provide it the power it needs to function.
  
  
• Without a town or county regulation, the amount of spots you want to have EV "capable" or "ready" depends on what your parking lot is used for. The percentage of spaced you outfit depends on the lot users' goals around EVSE deployment, NetZero, EV registration, and equity.
  
  
• The Department of Energy has great information about charging infrastructure in general and provides more detailed info based on the user needs here.

Another cool thing that is coming - Vehicle-to-Grid technology:
​
Vehicle-to-grid technology, known as V2G, would allow cars charging during the day to take on surplus power from renewable energy sources. During peak demand times, electric vehicles would return some of that stored energy to the grid. As demand tapers off in the evening, the cars would be able to recharge.

V2G could be especially beneficial if used by heavy-duty fleets, such as school buses or utility vehicles. Those fleets would have substantial battery storage and long periods where they’re idle, such as evenings and weekends — and even longer periods like summer and the holiday season when school is out. The batteries on a bus could store as much as 10 times the electricity needed to power a home for a day.