(enlightening music) - [Announcer] Funding for "Utah Insight" is made possible by viewers like you.

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- [Raeann] Coming up on "Utah Insight," Utah's electrifying journey.

- Our internal combustion engine's been around for over a hundred years.

This is a way of moving forward.

- [Raeann] We dive into the charged atmosphere of the electric vehicle revolution.

Discover how Utahns are plugging into the future of transportation, what incentives are there, and how much you can benefit from making the switch.

- It's nice waking up every morning and going out to your car and unplugging it, and it's the equivalent of having a full fuel tank every morning.

(soft music) - Welcome to "Utah Insight."

I'm Raeann Christensen.

Electric vehicles or EVs are becoming a popular choice if you're trying to lessen your carbon footprint from driving, get into some cool new tech, and help cut down on transportation emissions.

Taking a look at how many Utahns have already made the switch, there were 28,000 electric vehicles registered in 2022 in the Beehive State, and that's up from 2,500 in 2016.

As of April, 2022, Utah is the ninth state for the highest number of registered vehicles.

And joining us in the studio tonight, we have Kelbe Guopil, a senior associate in electrification for Utah Clean Energy, Bartly Mathews, Director of Electrified Transportation Planning with ASPIRE Research Center, and Tammy Bostic, Executive Director with Utah Clean Cities.

Thank you all so much for being here to discuss this topic with us.

Kelbe, I wanna start with you.

Electric vehicles are touted for their potential reduction in carbon footprints.

How significant do you think the environmental impact is for Utahns switching over?

- Very, I'd say very significant.

When we think about what's happening in Utah, and especially along the Wasatch Front with our air quality problems.

I mean, we've all seen it.

We've smelt it.

Sometimes you can actually taste it.

Transportation is about half of that problem.

So switching to electric vehicles, they have zero tailpipe.

So, we're not emitting any particulate matter or any of that icky stuff into the air.

So, it's a really important solution in, you know, the options that we have available to us to address the air quality issues here locally.

- Bartly, Utah is the ninth state for the highest number of registered electric vehicles.

What role role do you think the state policies and incentives have played in the adoption of these electric vehicles?

And do you think the state should be doing more?

- I think, isn't that an incredible statistic?

And what it is, is it's market driven here in the state.

People in the state of Utah are seeing the benefits of electrified transportation and they're choosing it.

There have been some state incentives out there and federal incentives that have helped it, but I think the state has taken a nice balanced approach to be able to help it get on its way, but then let the market drive it.

And people are seeing the benefit of it and they're choosing electrification.

- And Tammy, what do you think?

As far as, we've heard revenue from gas taxes are shrinking as more EVs are sold, and that's a tax that Utah has long depended on.

So, do you think that is pushing people away from getting EVs?

- Gosh, no.

Not at all.

And just like Kelbe and Bartly said, and your statistics indicate it is market driven and people are looking at the incredible advantages of having electric vehicles.

Not only personal vehicles, but also increasingly for fleet vehicles.

You're seeing delivery vans.

Yesterday I saw a Walmart van cruise by, electric.

You know, we see our Amazon, so there is, there's very little maintenance.

And so those, I mean, we have to pay for our roads, right?

So I mean those, that has not proven to be a disadvantage.

And then with us not being a ZEV state, a zero emission state, it's incredible to see again that Utah is leading, it's in the top 10 states without a whole lot of incentives from the state, and they're still choosing to go electric.

- That's great.

According to the division of Air quality in a 2022 report, mobile sources are the greatest source of emissions along the Wasatch Front.

That includes cars, semi trucks, trains, buses, and airplanes.

On-road mobile sources produce about 39% of the yearly manmade pollution.

And while heavy duty diesels account for only 7.5% of the vehicle miles traveled, they produce over 30% of that mobile source pollution.

Take a listen to a question from a student from Cottonwood High School.

- Hi, my name is Katie Neal.

And my question, is Salt Lake County looking to make public transportation or government vehicles fully electric?

And I wanna give you guys a chance to respond to that.

And I know you don't work with Salt Lake County, but you, do you think this is a way that we should go, Bartly, to all of the state and the county?

- Absolutely, absolutely.

It's a wonderful question and we are working toward it.

And at the ASPIRE Center, which is at Utah State University, we received an appropriation from the legislature to lead out on a planning process for the electrification of transportation in the state.

And it's looking at all the opportunities we can bring to make sure that the infrastructure is there, so that we can have this transition in the future.

Because we know it's critical for the air quality.

And just as you mentioned, the heavy duty freight and truck traffic, right?

And those opportunities are that low hanging fruit.

The ASPIRE Center is working on several projects that are ready to deploy on that, that can demonstrate how we can electrify that and clean the air.

So yes, we are actively working on that and planning that, and bringing in as many voices in the state to help us with that plan.

- And Tammy, do you?

The diesel vehicles produce over 30%, like we just mentioned?

How do we change this?

'Cause that's a lot.

- It is a lot.

And that's why Utah Clean Cities has worked with fleet programs for the over 30 years now.

And because if we can take that and shift that, especially with an organized system such as a fleet, it really makes a difference.

And the students' question about Salt Lake County, which is the largest county in in the state.

It's a very great question, like Bartly said, and we do see incredible leadership moving our vehicles to electric.

So if you look at the Salt Lake Environmental Health Department, almost all of their non hazmat vehicles, they're all electric.

So they have an, they have one of the largest workplace charging programs that we help them put, install about five years ago.

And all of their vehicles are electric vehicles.

And we see Salt Lake City doing the same thing, their parking enforcement vehicles.

So increasingly we're seeing fleets shift and the leadership is coming from Salt Lake County.

So that student could be reassured that there's good leadership.

- That's great.

In a move towards sustainability, Zion National Park has introduced a fleet of five new electric shuttles transitioning from propane to zero emission buses.

The shuttles are part of a broader plan funded by a $33 million US Department of Transportation grant aimed to preserve the park's natural beauty while managing a surge in visitor numbers, which nearly doubled over two decades.

Meanwhile, Utah's transit authorities fleet includes 34 battery electric buses.

They use high powered overhead chargers at transit centers and overnight chargers at two bus garages.

And Kelbe, in your opinion, what are this next steps for Utah to advance public transportation?

- Yeah so, I mean, we've already touched on the medium and heavy duty sector, but just to hone in on that a little bit more, I think that's a huge opportunity for Utah.

Like you said, those are a small number of vehicles on the road, but a large, you know, are responsible for, you know, a large part of our air quality problems.

And so, when it comes to public transportation, that's a pretty obvious win and low hanging fruit.

Those are, you know, typically diesel vehicles.

They do a lot of idling, which is, you know, even worse for our air.

But they have predictable routes.

They stop and go and they have an opportunity to do the depot charging, like you've mentioned.

So overnight charging.

So that's, you know, some low hanging fruit for Utah and public transit authorities to, you know, switch to electric - Bartly, how important is it for community engagement and the public awareness?

We've talked a lot about the cities, and the counties, and the state.

What about the community members?

- That is where it really happens.

And it's, it's because all of this affects our communities, right?

If we looked at the Wasatch Front and the west side of Salt Lake City, there's been great impacts out there.

And so, this is an opportunity to help those communities have a voice and be heard and bring some sustainable elements to their community where we can clean the air and we can make improvements to them.

So through this planning process, we're doing everything we can to reach out to the communities.

And I mentioned Wasatch Front right now, but we're reaching out statewide, and we're trying to get all the voices.

Rural Utah, they have a very important voice in all of this.

And it's an, it's an important to understand their mobility, their needs, and mobility, and also they produce a lot of the energy generation in our state that powers the electrification for all of these vehicles.

So at this ASPIRE Center, through the planning process, we're doing everything we can to reach out to the communities and we welcome those voices.

So please contact us if you wanna be heard.

- Do you have any thoughts on this?

- Well, I'm excited to see you bring up the Zion shuttle program.

Our program helped put the propane shuttles on the road back in the day, and it saved the park over 130% emissions they would've otherwise had if they had ran on diesel.

So, that's incredible.

And they started with the six electric buses, now they have 40 electric buses, so their whole entire fleet has shifted to electric, and that's exciting as well.

And it's also the largest national park fleet in the nation.

- That's incredible.

- Yeah.

So, Zion Park is leading now.

I mean, and they have great leadership and they're committed to using electric.

And increasingly they're also interested in hydrogen fuel cell.

So that's the next piece, right?

We can look at those heavy duty vehicles that are not only in our parks, in our public transportation systems, but also we see 70% of the freight coming off of the West coast.

It ends up in Utah.

That's why we call it the crossroads of the West.

So as we can see that build out in California and across coming east, eventually, you know, there's a great opportunity for us.

And the ASPIRE Center is working on that project with the Inland Port and other key industry partners to say, what is it like to bring zero emission vehicles from the west coast east?

And so we can see that increasingly happening with zero emission corridors, the investment is industry, public, private partnerships.

So, it's an exciting time.

We have the largest transportation system in the world.

And so along with that becomes great responsibility to make the better choices.

- Very exciting time.

- Yeah.

- Imagine a place where the hum of electricity and the future of transportation merge into a five day journey of discovery, where people from every corner of the globe gather under the buzz of high voltage innovation.

That place is Weber State University, where the electric vehicle revolution is not just coming, it's already here.

(tool riveting) - [John] We call this the Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Bootcamp.

This is our 29th one that we run.

- [Raeann] Weber State University is known in car circles for pushing the frontiers of automotive technology.

What many may not know, the school hosts a groundbreaking hybrid and electric vehicle bootcamp poised to redefine the future of transportation.

- We're gonna need a 10 millimeter to disconnect those - [Raeann] Under the expert guidance of Professor John Kelly.

- Let's lift this cover off and see what's inside.

- [Raeann] Famous for the Weber Auto YouTube channel with nearly half a million subscribers, the university opens its doors to students and professionals from all over the globe.

- It's fun to have people come and appreciate the work that you do.

There's nothing wrong with the battery itself, it's just.

- [Raeann] For an entire week, participants are immersed in the intricacies of servicing.

- [John] If coolant comes out, you know you got an internal leak, we never want that.

- [Raeann] Diagnosing and repairing a vast array of electric and hybrid vehicles.

- There's very few places that have the vehicles and the tools and equipment that we have here.

- [Student] Current sensor, interlock circuit.

- [Kurt] Coming here to gain more knowledge on it and take that information we learned from here to implement into our programs.

- Kurt Garbrecht from Wisconsin is a diesel tech instructor and emphasizes the importance of this training and why he chooses Weber State.

- Probably one of the most advanced right now.

And if, you know as well, we can find our industry, our diesel industry is not really allowing us to get any of that training.

(hydraulics humming) - [Raeann] The demand for skilled EV technicians is on the rise, yet the number of available positions far exceeds the number of trained students.

- [John] When you take this bolt out, this is supposedly the lowest spot of the battery.

- A lot of people are afraid of this technology.

It's like, oh, this has four or 400 volts through it.

I don't wanna touch it.

I'm afraid of touching it.

When in all reality, it's not that different.

It's not even that much more dangerous.

It's just you have to follow the necessary service steps to disable the high voltage system when you're working on it.

And then it's no different than working on a gas vehicle at the end of the day.

- Weber state's efforts are being noticed internationally with attendees like Anthony Bonanno from the Australian Motor Traders Association.

- Electric cars are becoming more relevant now, more popular.

To provide a better service and create more knowledge, I've come here to work with Professor Kelly, so I can take the extended knowledge back to Australia and use it with our people.

- Yeah, - With each bootcamp, another batch of skill technicians is ready to plug into the electric revolution, driving the industry towards a more sustainable and exciting tomorrow.

- The best reward is when I can see my students learn something.

I can see, you know, the light turn on that they grasp some technical concept that they didn't understand before.

No matter what the topic is I'm teaching, if I can see that, then it's worthwhile.

- I've had a lot of people reach out and say they've had reservations about buying hybrid or electric vehicles, because they have a hard time getting 'em serviced and fixed.

How important Bartly is it for these EV camps like Dr., or Professor Kelly holds?

- This is so exciting, what they are doing at Weber State University.

And it's part of this whole plan for electrification, is that we develop a workforce here in the state of Utah, that the technology is innovated here in Utah, that it's homed here in Utah and it's spreading abroad.

And so what they're doing is so critical and important.

We're working toward developing those relationships with all of our technical schools and our systems of higher education, all the universities, et cetera, to bring those training opportunities.

We're also working with like the A-F-L-C-I-O as well, and to make sure that these individuals have training opportunities, that they know these things, and they can help us build this out and keep it maintained and running well.

It's a wonderful opportunity for our state.

- A great program for sure.

- Yes.

- And Kelbe, how do you think this is affecting the business industry as far as these boot camps?

- Yeah, so I mean, as with any transition to a new technology, which this is a huge transition in a lot of big ways, we're gonna experience bumps in the road.

And I think one thing that sometimes gets overlooked with big technology transitions is the workforce element.

And that has a direct impact on businesses, that has a direct impact on fleets who have, you know, a ton of vehicles and need them to be serviced.

And so as folks are trained at these camps, as they become experts, that's filling, you know, a need in the workforce and it's supporting businesses to be able to transition to electric with a lot more competence and a lot more security that they're not gonna, you know, get themselves into trouble or get stranded somewhere, and that they have the support and the infrastructure that they need for maintenance of their vehicles.

- And I heard one of the interviewees in there say that they can't find training in their industry as far as the diesel industry goes.

Tammy, what are your thoughts on that?

That was a little, little shocking.

- Yeah, so the average fleet manager is 55.

We do have a shortage of trained mechanics for diesel mechanics.

So right now, Weber State and Utah Clean Cities and the Department of Energy, we're just launching a new project, ICE to EV, internal combustion engine to EV mechanics.

And so that's an exciting program who's not only retraining existing mechanics with what they need to know about all electronics.

Things are increasingly electric, and very much computer based.

And so this program at Weber State, it is the best in the nation.

And that's not an overstatement.

So when you see people coming from all around the world, they're coming across the nation to go to Weber State, because they have such an outstanding program.

So we're really lucky to have that in our backyard.

And then when you look at, for example, Salt Lake School District, they have been adopting electric buses and their goal is to have a complete electric bus fleet.

So again, those, while maintenance for electric vehicles is different than diesels, there's still maintenance to them.

And there's still things that fleet managers have to figure out.

What that program teaches is that, how do you be a fleet manager with whatever fleet you're working with?

But increasingly, how does it become electric?

Right?

So Weber State, I mean, I can't say enough good things about them.

And with all of us working together, I mean ASPIRE, you know, UTA, all of our, all of our fleets, Zion Park is gonna send some of their mechanics up.

So it's just, it's really great that Utah is so innovative.

- And we did see some representatives from UTA at that training camp when we were there.

So it's great.

- Yep, that we exactly right, - We have this right in our backyard.

- Yes, we're so fortunate.

- Yes.

Range anxiety is the fear that an EV will run out of battery power before reaching a charging station or destination.

Efforts are underway to address and prevent this issue.

One example is Charge West an initiative by Intermountain West States to build up electric vehicle corridors.

This project focuses on developing infrastructure in rural gateway communities, state and national parks, monuments, recreation areas, and scenic byways.

UDOT is also expanding Utah's electric vehicle fast charging network with 15 new sites funded through NEVI, the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program.

UDOT says these new sites will double Utah's electric vehicle fast charging network and make it easier for Utahns in electric vehicles to travel anywhere along Utah's interstates.

Kelbe, I know that a lot of people do have that fear and how can you address this issue with these people?

I know that we have a couple of things that are going on, like we just mentioned, but put people's minds at ease.

- Yeah, of course.

So I mean, I had range anxiety when I first transitioned to an electric vehicle.

It's a common barrier and it's a common concern.

I will say, I think it's becoming increasingly less of a barrier and less of a concern as charging infrastructure has expanded.

Like the examples that you gave.

Also, you know, battery technology is changing, you know, rapidly right before our very eyes.

We're seeing cars, electric vehicles with bigger batteries and longer and longer ranges, which really takes the concern out when you've got a little bit of extra wiggle room with where you're driving.

I will say that most folks who drive electric vehicles charge at home, it's around 80%.

So it is really important to address range anxiety that we make sure that everyone has access to home charging when possible, especially those who live in apartments and condos.

It's really difficult if you live in a multi-family building and you don't have access to charging to own and operate an EV with confidence.

And so that's something that Utah Clean Energy is working on.

We're working with local governments across Utah to help them adopt EV readiness policies so that new buildings that are being built are ready for an EV future, so everyone can have access to drive an EV.

- Raeann, if I could add a little bit to that as well, because range anxiety is a huge concern.

And one of the neat things about the ASPIRE Center, we're a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center.

Part of the reason we received that designation is because we are working towards wireless charging opportunities and electrification of the roadway.

So instead of always feeling obligated to have to plug in somewhere, what if you could drive from Salt Lake City to St. George on Interstate 15 and drive over a segment of electrified roadway that's maybe a couple miles long and you're charging at highway speeds as you drive over that roadway, and then maybe you go for another long distance, and then you hit another segment of electrified roadway.

What that enables us to do is reduce the battery size that's required and it provides that security that you know you can get to your destination.

It's especially important and a unique opportunity for freight.

So when we talk about zero emission freight opportunities, if we could have all these semi trucks electrified able to charge as they're driving down the highway, that's a game changer.

That's how we scale the electrification of transportation.

- That's incredible.

That's kinda a little mind boggling to like think about that.

- Well, you know what's fun about it, is if you come up to Utah State University to our center on the Innovation campus in Logan, we have a test track up there where you can see it in action.

And this summer we're going to deploy another quarter mile of electrified roadway at the Utah Inland Port where a demonstration will continue there.

So people will be able to see this in action starting later this summer out at the Inland Port.

- Incredible.

And we did ask you on social media, would you consider purchasing an electric vehicle?

What excites you about electric vehicles and what reservations do you have?

Another common theme here we've heard, Ellen Mitchell says, "Expense is number one in my mind."

So what are your guys' thoughts on that?

'cause that is a, that is very true.

You know, they are very expensive.

What would you say, Tammy?

- Interesting enough, I was just in DC in February, and it was stated that they're on parity.

I mean, electric vehicles for the most part are the same cost today as a non-electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, so that's exciting.

And also, I mean the range of the battery is increasing, and so that, we like to say it's, we're building range confidence.

So like with the Charge West program that you had mentioned and the investments with the NEVI plan, which is $35 million of making fast chargers along corridors.

The Charge West program pulls that into scenic byways, rural communities, heavy used roads, that are just not along interstates.

So the cost is similar right now.

So we can see that.

So people can make that equal choice.

It's like, wow, I can choose this car or I can choose an internal combustion car.

So when you know, and you increasingly have more range with an electric, that's really gonna shift it, right?

And again, the parity's there.

So we're seeing that the cars are about the same price, including- - Okay, that's the cost of the vehicle.

And then if you- - You're exactly.

- If you're looking at the fuel, how you're fueling it.

- [Tammy] Exactly.

- Paying for the electricity is much less expensive than purchasing gas or diesel.

- Right, and Utah has some of the lowest electric prices in the nation.

So again, I mean, I love the concept of that we're looking at zero emissions.

If we can say that they're equal and that there's ubiquitous charging wherever you go and you're charging in roadways.

You know, those kinds of things are just, it's going to be that that shifts it.

- Okay and Kelbe, do you have a quick thought?

Yeah, definitely.

So in addition to, you know, what they've said, there's also some great incentives available.

There's a federal tax credit for new EVs and a federal tax credit for used EVs, which is the used EV piece is a brand new thing.

And as more used EVs are available and more folks, you know, take advantage of that tax credit, EVs have become less of a, you know, luxury item, which they've been seen as in the past, and something that's a lot more accessible for sort of the average person to get excited about.

- Okay, and we are out of time already.

This went by so fast.

I thank you guys so much for being here.

Really important topic to discuss.

Next time on "Utah Insight," treating dementia with Dignity, how we can help Utahns with dementia, get the care they need and support their caregivers.

And we wanna hear from you.

You can share your thoughts using the methods that you see on your screen, social media, email, or you can call in.

Thank you so much for watching "Utah Inside," and we're gonna see you back here next week.

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