Thanks to a partnership with the National Park Foundation, National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and BMW of North America, six electric vehicle (EV) charging stations have been installed at The Oasis at Death Valley to serve visitors to Death Valley National Park, the park announced.
“The Oasis at Death Valley is committed to providing legendary hospitality with a softer footprint and we couldn’t be more excited about the installation of these six strategically-placed charging stations, Trey Matheu, general manager of The Oasis at Death Valley, said in a statement.
“We have seen an immediate demand for the stations and look forward to continuing to serve EV visitors.”
Details were announced in a July 12 news release.
Currently, the charging stations are free and powered by The Oasis at Death Valley’s onsite solar field. Four chargers are located at The Ranch at Death Valley and two at the Inn at Death Valley.
The chargers in Death Valley are part of a larger project to expand public access for EV travel and help reduce air pollution in parks and gateway communities.
More than 90 charging stations have been installed in and near national parks so far, including Channel Islands National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Grand Canyon National Park.
This project kicked off in April 2017 with the first electric vehicle charging stations installed at Thomas Edison National Historical Park.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office has provided technical assistance that supports innovative energy-saving transportation projects at national park sites.
These projects educate visitors on the benefits of advanced and alternative fuel vehicles and can help the National Park Service meet their energy, economic, and environmental goals.
The benefits of these projects have the opportunity to reach far beyond the boundaries of the national parks, the news release statted.
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“The automobile has long been central to the great American vacation in national parks,” National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith said. “While our treasured landscapes offer familiar vistas time after time, the automobile has changed greatly, and parks want to meet the needs of our visitors who use electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
“Through this joint effort between BMW of North America, the Department of Energy, and the National Park Foundation, electric vehicle drivers will have more places to charge the car while recharging themselves with nature and parks,” Smith said.
Will Shafroth, president of the National Park Foundation said: “Thanks to public-private partnership, electric vehicle drivers can enjoy a quintessential national park road trip. Not only will drivers benefit, but also the businesses and communities at the doorstep of our treasured national parks.”