New Mexico (and parts of Arizona) still have some major gaps in cargo and there is money to fill them! (Part 2, kind of)
In a previous article, which is sort of part 1 of this article, I covered some of the great things that are going to happen in New Mexico. In short, the southeastern part of the state is going to get a lot more stations from VW Dieselgate comparison funds, and they’re putting the stations in the best convenience stores New Mexico and Texas have to offer (Allsup’s). Life is good isn’t it?
I don’t want to sound like we’re not grateful for the large EV charging expansion we’re getting in New Mexico. Anything is much better than nothing. That being said, there is still a long way to go, and let’s face it – we’re just too poor in New Mexico to add funds. With the exception of a few stations in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, everything else in the state came from either Tesla or the Dieselgate Settlement.
Even after these new stops have started, there are still some large chunks of New Mexico real estate that just aren’t getting the DCFC love they really need. Hopefully, charging entrepreneurial businesses and upcoming federal funding for electric vehicles will help fill those gaps! If you work for an existing charging company like Francis Energy, EVgo, or Chargepoint, I’m going to give you a few bucks worth of free advice here. There are still some major gaps in charging infrastructure that expanding this all-up won’t fill, and money will have to be made to fill those gaps.
The I-25 corridor is still pretty barren
First, let’s take a look at Corridor I-25. Corridors I-40 and I-10 are now mostly well covered by Electrify America and Tesla, but as I mentioned a couple of paragraphs above, it is still only charging in truth or consequence, which is not really enough. Many drivers have to stop in Las Cruces and Socorro for an hour or two on a level 2 charge to take the ride. Adding DCFC stations in Las Cruces, Socorro and Belen would make EV trips along this corridor a lot easier and also allow better access to the hinterland from these cities.
Some gaps in Eastern NM & Far West Texas
Back in eastern New Mexico there will be a few glaring gaps after these stations are built. The obvious one is Roswell. Locals put up signs saying it’s the dairy capital of the Southwest, but the rest of us slick nippers go to Roswell to see the wacky UFO museums, even though the alleged UFO crash site was closer to Corona. Plus, Roswell is a big station on US Highway 285, so the Dairy Capital thing might be true. Another big void in the region will be Hobbs. I don’t know any smart sayings about Hobbs, so I’ll leave it at that.
Another thing that would help a lot would be to cover the National Parks Highway (US 180 between El Paso and Carlsbad). El Paso is truly the population center of the entire region, and a solid connection between it and southeastern New Mexico that doesn’t require much detours would be of great help to not only the locals but also be widely used by tourists and business travelers.
Upcoming charging stations in eastern New Mexico (plugshare.com screenshot, upcoming stations have a “wrench” symbol)
Eastern Arizona and Western New Mexico
Another gap that is still largely unfilled is the space between I-25 and the Arizona Sun Corridor (roughly a line from Tucson to Flagstaff, where there are stations along I-10 and I-17). This large hole encompasses the Gila Wilderness, the White Mountains and parts of the Colorado Plateau. While the population is sparse and conservative, there is a lot of potential for electric tourism right now and you can bet that it will encourage more locals to buy electric vehicles.
It would only take 10-15 DCFC stations along the major highways to fill this Arizona / New Mexico hole.
The US Highway 60 corridor roughly bisects the region from east to west. Due to the mountainous terrain, the stations are needed quite close together. Magdalena, Datil, Quemado, Springerville (Round Valley) and Payson could all use some love. Show Low is about to get an Electrify America station, or I would have listed that one too.
From north to south there are two main highways that need to be covered: US 180 and 191. St. Johns, Alpine, Morenci, Glenwood and Silver City would essentially meet the needs along these parallel routes. 191 is particularly popular with motorcycle travelers, and 180 is the great highway for most of the Gila with its myriad of tourist destinations such as The Catwalk, Mogollon and the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
One final route in this area that DCFC love could use is US Highway 70 between Lordsburg, New Mexico and Phoenix (via US 60). A stop in Safford or Thatcher, Arizona (or maybe Pima, a place that needs a pants store, if only to make people laugh – Pima Pants, get it? Get it?) Would be a good place to start. Next, a station near Globe would end the route. For bonus points, set up a booth in Duncan, Arizona to help Harley Livewire owners.
These 13 stops wouldn’t make things perfect, but they would be a lot better than what the region has now (nothing).
The space between Las Vegas and… Las Vegas?
One final charging desert that should be mentioned in this article is the strip of land between Las Vegas and Las Vegas. Yes, you probably know Las Vegas, Nevada, but there is also a Las Vegas in New Mexico along I-25. Additionally, the land where both Las Vegas are now located was once part of New Mexico.
An 1852 map of the original territory of New Mexico showing how the states in the area got their shapes. Public Domain Image.
Now that you’re thoroughly confused, and hopefully you’ve made a map to find the other Las Vegas, I’ll be more specific and say that this large gap region is Taos, New Mexico, Farmington, New Mexico, the Navajo Nation, and Arizona -Stripes. Again, there isn’t much in terms of local population and wealth, but the potential for electric tourism can act as a vanguard to fund these stations initially and encourage the local adoption of electric vehicles.
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The main highways to cover on this route are US Highways 491 (formerly US 666, the “Devil’s Highway”), 550, 191, 64, 160, 89 and 89A. Like the last void, it would only take a few stations to fill it. Cities like Taos, Farmington, Chama, Page, and Tuba City seem obvious. Less obvious places are Cuba, Newcomb, Chinle, and Jacob’s Lake. These last few provide great access to attractions like the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Canyon de Chelly.
Some final thoughts
In total, only about 30 stations (even if there are only 1-2 stalls) would make a HUGE difference in the way Allsup and Francis’ partnership will help in eastern New Mexico. Tourists, travelers, and locals all would have better options and would be willing to pay some cash for the convenience of DC fast charging in these charging deserts.
Recommended image: Screenshot from Plugshare.com showing a large loading gap for CCS and CHAdeMO vehicles.
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