Oregon completes quick-charge highway

SALEM – With more quick-charge stations installed for electric vehicles, Oregon has completed its portion of the West Coast Electric Highway.

When completed, the electric highway will be equipped with quick-charge stations every 25 to 60 miles. The highway is a tri-state effort of Washington, Oregon and California, and extends from British Columbia to Baja California.

The quick-charge stations can typically charge a car battery in 20 to 30 minutes. Depending on battery-charge levels, it can take between four to eight hours at a non-quick-charge station.

Portland General Electric joined with ECOtality, the company that manufactures the stations, through the Electric Vehicle Project to install the stations that completed the northern portion of the state’s corridor.

The Oregon Department of Transportation completed the southern stretch of the state freeway with 10 quick-charge stations along I-5 last March.