SPRINGDALE -- Building a charging network for electric vehicles was part of a discussion at a Northwest Arkansas electric vehicle infrastructure meeting Thursday.
Stakeholders filled the community room at Arvest Ballpark to hear from state and local leaders. A tour of electric vehicle facilities at the ballpark with vehicles provided by the Tesla Owners Club of Arkansas, Inc. was held after the meeting.
Becky Keogh, Cabinet Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment, said afterward it was exciting to have the conversation.
"This is just the beginning of a lot of conversations we need to have and we want to have," she said. "The kind of input we heard today from the local mayors and some of the planners really helped inform me at the state level and I am sure others who were in the room.
"We can do this a lot more effectively and efficiently and protectively if we have knowledge brought in the front end of the process. I am just excited to have the conversation, to see the momentum."
She said vehicle manufacturers are investing in the technology and state officials want to make sure communities are ready for it.
President Joe Biden has pledged to have 500,000 public charging stations for electric vehicles in place by 2030, according to a White House news release. The administration is providing more than $5 billion to states over the next five years to build a network of charging stations along the nation's interstates.
The truck remains the vehicle king in Arkansas right now, however. The No. 1 registered vehicle in the state is the Chevrolet Silverado, with more than 86,000 registered, Scott Hardin with the Department of Finance and Administration said. The Ford F-150 is second and the GMC Sierra, third.
Electric and hybrid vehicles are gaining in popularity in the state.
In 2019, there were 781 electric vehicles and 13,861 hybrids. As of June 1 of this year, there were 2,997 electric vehicles and 27,441 hybrid vehicles, Hardin said.
Benton County leads with 660 fully electric vehicles registered, while Pulaski County follows with 640. Washington County is third with just over 400, he said.
Tim Conklin with the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission estimated there are more than 50 electric vehicle charging stations, both public and private, in Benton and Washington counties. Conklin used the website www.plugshare.com, and noted all the charging sites in the two-county area may not be on the website's map because it is a self-reporting site.
"People are going to buy these cars, which I think they will," he said. "Then everyone is going to say, 'Where are the chargers?' We are just trying to get ahead of the game."
Consumers and fleets considering electric vehicles -- which include all-electric vehicles and plug-in, hybrid electric vehicles -- need access to charging stations, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
For most drivers, that starts with charging at home or at fleet facilities. Charging stations at workplaces and public destinations may help bolster market acceptance by offering more flexible charging opportunities at commonly visited locations. Charging the growing number of electric vehicles requires a robust network of stations for consumers and fleets, according to the Energy Department.
Fayetteville, Rogers and Siloam Springs have municipal stations and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas National Airport in Highfill have electric vehicle charging stations, Conklin said.
Siloam Springs has one city charging station, said Phillip Patterson, city administrator. It cost $12,000, but the state paid $9,500 of that amount, he said.
Fayetteville opened its first charging station on city property in 2013, said Peter Nierengarten, city environmental director. The plan is to open four more on city property by the end of the summer. There are more than 20 other private charging stations around the city, he said.
The cost to charge an electric vehicle depends on who is providing the electricity. Ozarks Electric Cooperative has six charging sites in Northwest Arkansas, including one at Arvest Ballpark, and two in northeast Oklahoma. The charge is 12 cents a kilowatt hour at the stations, said Todd Clouse, manager of energy services.
Bentonville has two electric charging stations in the municipal airport parking lot that went live in October, said Debbie Griffin, city director of administration.
There also is an electric charging station for airplanes, she said. It was installed in October and is the first in the state, Griffin said. It was used for the first time at the Up Summit this week when an electric plane was in the area, she said. There also are several private locations in the city to charge electric vehicles, Griffin said.
Dennis Birge, city transportation director, said it was a timely event with gas prices what they are now. Just north of Arvest Ballpark, regular unleaded gas was selling for $4.44 per gallon at Sam's Club.
"I believe it will catch on definitely more than it is now," he said of electric car use. "It is trending upward. We will definitely see more of it. How much, I don't know."