Tribe to install more EV charging stations on campus

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

 The Tribe plans to install a total of eight charging stations for electric vehicles on the Tribal campus during the coming months, each with two charging ports.

The chargers are needed as until early May, there was one solar-powered charger in the parking lot of the Governance Center, with two ports that on sunny summer days can charge two cars at once. It was often in heavy demand, particularly during the winter, when charging power is reduced.

On Tuesday, May 5, the Tribe installed two more solar charging stations; one in the parking lot of the Governance Center and the other at the Community Center.

The plan to add more charging stations is a long-standing one. “We received a grant from ODOT’s carbon reduction program in 2023,” Tribal Engineering & Community Development Department Manager Ryan Webb said. “The money had to be routed through (the Bureau of Indian Affairs) to us, so it took two years to get an agreement in place and the money transferred to us. We applied for the grant to be proactive about making sure we had the EV infrastructure in place as more employees started purchasing EV vehicles.”

Webb said grid-based chargers will be installed at the Governance Center, Adult Education Building (within the Education Department complex), Employment Service Center, Community Center, Natural Resources Department and the Health & Wellness Center.

Webb said the chargers have been ordered but he doesn’t have an exact timeline for installation yet.

In early April, the Tribe contracted with Risseeuw’s Excavation and Septic LLC for the $342,930.56 installation.

“This is definitely the direction of the future,” Tribal Council member Kathleen George said during a Tuesday, April 7, Legislative Action Committee meeting. “And we need to meet our clients and our employees there. We see more and more electric vehicles in the parking lot.”

Webb noted that employees need to fill out a form to use the chargers, including the existing ones.

“If you have an EV vehicle and want to start using the chargers around campus, please reach out to me to request the EV Charging Policy and EV usage form,” Webb said.

He can be reached at ryan.webb@grandronde.org.