Photo by RANDY PARKS

From left: Ramona Hofman with Harney County Opportunity Team, Lea Gettle, OTEC’s manager of administration and strategic services, Harney County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lola Johnson, OTEC director of engineering, Susie Snyder, OTEC’s supervisor of energy programs, and Eric Wirfs, OTEC’s director of member services.

Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC) unveiled its first of three planned electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on Feb. 27 in Burns. The charging station is located behind the Harney County Chamber of Commerce off North Broadway Avenue in downtown Burns. OTEC plans to install two more EV charging stations this year, one in Baker City and one in John Day.

“Our region is an ideal place to own an EV, as more than 94 percent of our power we buy from BPA is carbon-free, 84.5 percent of which is hydroelectric,” Charlie Tracy, OTEC’s director of engineering, said. “When you drive an EV, you are trading fossil fuels like gas and diesel with energy coming from clean energy mix while saving money.”

The cost of installing the charging stations comes from Oregon’s Clean Fuels program. They will have no effect on OTEC’s member-owners’ power rates.

EV drivers can now stop and charge their vehicle in Burns and are charged nominal rates per kilo-watt hour. Drivers are encouraged to walk around Burns while their vehicle charges, which OTEC hopes will provide a boost to the local economy.

OTEC is committed to continue being a steward of the environment and encourages member-owners who are interested in purchasing an electric vehicle to visit https://otec.coop/electric-vehicles-evs. There, you can find information on the benefits of EVs, calculate how much you can save driving an EV compared to a gas vehicle, and see what kind of rebates and tax credits are available from the state and federal government.

OTEC is also offering our member-owners rebates if they purchase home-charging units for EVs, which are just as easy to install as a typical washer or dryer.