By Tom Elder
Uintah Trails Working Group

Yesterday, while charging my electric vehicle (EV), I chatted with a woman who was likewise “gassing up” her EV. (I’ve tried out the expression, “I’ve got to get ‘juiced up’”, but it is too confusing and liable to be misinterpreted). She spoke with a clipped British accent. I normally would not engage a stranger on the street, but we both belonged to the informal International Brotherhood of EV Owners. That membership comes with a perk – friendly exchanges of information.

I never got her name, but she routinely travels on business between Denver and Salt Lake City, and ALWAYS gets “juiced up” at the charging station in downtown Vernal. Those are fast chargers; while we were talking, my EV was getting around 160 kilowatts (kW) of electricity. At that rate, it would take about 30 minutes for the battery to go from 10% charge to 90%. Perfect timing to get a meal on Vernal’s Main Street. On other charging occasions, I have instead renewed my relationship with some of the downtown stores. There’s a coffee shop, a health food store, a bar, as well as other establishments that I have recommended to fellow EV travelers.

My new acquaintance also uses the charging station at Kimball Junction, outside of Park City. That is a very smart location for a charger, at the center of an extensive network of bus routes that serve Park City, Heber City, even all the way down the pass to Salt Lake City. There is a small shelter for people waiting on their bus or for people (like me) charging their EVS. There’s a restroom, and the excellent Summit County Library is just a few steps away. Many shopping centers, restaurants and the Swaner Nature Reserve are just a short walk further.

There are 5 “fast chargers” at Kimball Junction, and nearby another 6 slower chargers. In front of the library are 6 more chargers, of both types, bringing the total to 17 chargers, from at least three different companies.

Some towns need to catch up with the energy transition. Duchesne, for example, is at the critical junction of US 40 and US 191. US 40 is an important east-west route through Utah, and US 191 is on the route from Grand Teton-Yellowstone National Parks down to the canyon lands of southern Utah. Yet Duchesne has only one charger at a motel on the west end of town, and every time I’ve tried to use it, I’ve been defeated. It apparently needs fixing.

Since this charger is off the main street with no sign to direct me, how did I even find it? I used the free app Plugshare, which I have on my phone and on the computer at home. There are many such EV apps, which locate every charger, and which also have a comment board with people discussing how their charging experience went. Sure enough, other drivers have flagged the Duchesne charger as unreliable.

If Duchesne wants to be “on the map”, then someone should get after the company that installed that charger, and say, “Fix this, please”. The hotel might attract new paying guests who charge while they spend the night. Who knows? For the present, EV drivers have little reason to stop in Duchesne, UT.

But it is different in Vernal. There’s a lesson in that. The public charger’s AREN’T for residents like me, who generally have a charger installed at their home. The public chargers are for travelers passing through our fair city – giving them a reason to stop.