Red River Stop has become one of the newest gas stations to include electric vehicle charging stations. On Thursday morning, people gathered for the ribbon cutting of the Gainesville National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Station. This is the second NEVI station to open in Texas.
“On federal highways, we paid not only for this one here in Gainesville, but we’ve also paid for other ones in the state of Texas and also around the nation,” said Carl Highsmith of the Federal Highway Administration. “One of our goals is to make sure that we have electric vehicle charging stations approximately every 50 miles along the interstate, because one of the things that we know is that if you have an electric vehicle, you need some place to charge it.”
The ultimate plan is to have NEVI stations frequently enough throughout Texas that electric vehicle owners don’t have to go a different route just to charge their vehicle and can travel with confidence.
“There will be 84 stations about every 50 miles on the interstates,” said Michael Chamberlain from the Texas Department of Transportation. “Once we finish the alternative fuel corridors, then we transition to off the corridors, those inside the metropolitan planning organizations and inside the county seats.”
Each station will have at least four ports, but some like the one in Gainesville will have around 12 quick-charge ports, which according to Chamberlain can charge a car in 15 to 30 minutes. While the charging stations at Red River Stop are Tesla brand, they have plugs compatible with both of the major vehicle charging plugs.
Representatives from a variety of organizations are going on a roadtrip to do shows like the one Thursday to help people learn more about electric vehicles and why stations like the one in Gainesville are needed.
“Consumer Reports show that without any experience with electric vehicles, 40 percent of Americans say ‘I’m never going to own one of these things.’ If they get just a little bit of experience, that drops down to 4%, so it really is important for people to have that experience with an EV so they can make an educated decision,” said Buzz Smith, executive director of the Texas EV Alliance. “We don’t believe in mandates in Texas. Texans should be able to have the freedom to choose any vehicle they want to drive.
“That being said, those of us that have electric vehicles and know the benefits and challenges of having one know that when people actually get the experience, they’re going to want one for themselves.”
Representatives also talked about wanting to get past electric vehicles being a partisan issue.
“We also want to get politics out of the discussion of EVs; EVs are not political,” said Smith. “Whether you’re concerned about the environment, national security, international competition or the Texas energy grid, EVs are part of the solution … Even more than that is the economic impact that EVs are having on Texas. Factories are being built here. The No. 1 employer in Austin right now is the Tesla giga factory. Wallbox and LG have factories in Texas, and there’s even more coming. That means jobs and prosperity for Texans.”
Some of the attendees at the ribbon cutting included representatives from the Texas Electric School Bus Project, who help educate people on the possibilities with electric school buses and help school districts begin the process.
“A number of studies have measured the diesel exhaust as being 10 to 15 times more concentrated in the bus than outside,” said Jessica Keithan, the founder of the TESBP. “One of the things we’re doing is working to bring the research to a new level and get new studies in multiple locations to confirm those past results.”
In addition to being better for the environment and students, electric school buses can help schools save money over time.
“School buses are a perfect use case for electrification, with short, predictable routes and their daily return to a central hub to charge in the middle of the day and at night,” said Keithan. “Conservatively, districts can save 60 percent on fueling and maintenance costs.”
The group acknowledges that there’s still challenges. For example, while electric buses can be more cost-effective in the long run, they do require a large sum up front. A single electric bus can cost around $400,000.
“They’re cheaper to operate and maintain … the high upfront cost is a big barrier, and so we look for all kinds of ways to minimize that upfront capital expenditure for school districts, whether it’s federal funding, state funding, creative financing or pursuing the idea of repowering existing diesel busses into electric vehicles at a fraction of the cost,” said Keithan.
TESBP also anticipates other improvements, such as improving battery capacity for longer trips.
“It’s not for everywhere, all the time, all at once right now … it’s a route bus that you know that you’re going to come back,” said Michelle Montague, business development director for TESBP. “Your one-hour drive to the football stadium at the competing high school, you’ve got to make sure they have a charger over there.”
As the buses become more widespread, charging infrastructure will as well, and more charging stations means the vehicles can travel longer distances, Keithan said.
“Also, just in the last two years, battery technology has improved … they’re getting longer range … We would never advocate for changing every single bus on the road right now; it’s not feasible or practical,” she said. “We are all about the balanced approach as we march toward the better future.”
The Gainesville NEVI Station is located at 1200 Frontage Road along I-35. For more information about electric vehicles and NEVI stations in Texas, visit electrifytexasroadshow.com.