Plenty of variables if EV buses come to Glacier

As Glacier National Park examines ways to manage crowds into the future, one suggestion by Congressman Ryan Zinke has been a more robust shuttle system, possibly with clean running electric vehicles.

Crowd management aside, there’s also the problem of keeping such a bus fleet charged and running.

Andy Masa, a key member advocate for Flathead Electric Co-op, said serving a system would likely be dependent on a variety of factors, most notably, the buses and how long they can go between charges.

“It depends on the route the buses are doing and how quickly and often they need to charge the batteries,” Masa said.

Buses that can run all day and then be charged at night would be ideal, as demand for electricity is lowest at night. It also helps the Co-op, which serves Glacier’s electrical needs west of the Divide, with its electric load management.

The Co-op will soon get some firsthand experience with electric buses. The Bigfork School District recently received a grant for an electric bus and has been working with the Co-op on the most efficient way to charge and operate it, Masa noted in an interview last week.

The Co-op gets 97% of its power from the Bonneville Power Administration, which, in turn, gets most of its power from the operation of dams along the Columbia River system, including the Hungry Horse Dam.

Masa likened the power system serving the Park (and other communities) like a water system with a large pipeline that narrows down to home and business service.

So the power needs of an EV fleet may, or may not, require some sort of upgrades to the park's electrical system, Masa noted.

Other national parks are already adopting electric bus fleets, however, and the process is not inexpensive.

In 2021, Zion National Park received $33 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to begin replacing its aged shuttle bus fleet with new battery-electric transit buses. The fleet replacement project will couple funding through federal Department of Transportation's Nationally Significant Lands and Tribal Program.

All told Zion’s fleet includes 26 battery-electric buses and 27 charging stations to replace that park’s current propane-powered transit fleet. Engineering and service connections were completed for the first phase of electric charging station installation in 2021.

It was expected to take several years to replace Zion’s fleet with electric vehicles.

Glacier began its shuttle system, which runs on fossil fuels, in 2007, with 22 sprinter buses designed to operate west of the Divide as well as larger buses that are largely used east of the divide where the Sun Road doesn’t have sharp turns.

That fleet is showing its age, though there have been some replacements over the years.

Meanwhile, the general public is already going electric, with more electrical tools and appliances being sold and used each year.

Flathead County, noted Co-op spokesperson Courtney Stone, also has the highest number of registered electric vehicles in the state.

As such, the Co-op recently announced a free EV charging assistance program.

The program is intended to benefit the area electrical grid and all Co-op members, regardless of electric vehicle ownership. The EV Charging Assistant program helps residential electric vehicle owners manage charging in ways that contribute to a resilient power grid, which supports everyone in the electric system, the Co-op notes.

Enrolling in the program is free and is done wirelessly. No equipment is needed in the member’s electric vehicle or home. The EV Charging Assistant encourages residential electric vehicle owners to avoid charging during “peak demand hours” (currently Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.) through a bonus incentive and strike system.

Program participants who successfully avoid charging during most peak demand hours will have a chance to win prizes, including a month’s worth of electricity at their home. Participants’ monthly electric bills will highlight their estimated savings from the EV Charging Assistant program. The EV Charging Assistant will also optimize charging for the EV’s battery, which is likely to extend its life cycle, the Co-op said.

The program is limited to the first 100 EV-owning residential members to sign up. Hybrid vehicles will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, visit flatheadelectric.com/EVassistant.