SEATTLE — Electric vehicle owners lined up at public charging stations this week after a severe windstorm knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people.
Sophia Vergara was one of the people who waited in line for chargers in Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood on Thursday.
“It’s a long line – not usually this long,” Vergara said.
Vergara said she expected the process to take about two hours, including the 45 minutes it would take to fully charge the car.
Most newer electric cars have ranges of 250 to 300 miles on a full charge. One that's charged to at least 80% should have enough power to last multiple days.
Washington has seen a sharp increase in electric vehicle ownership over the last few years. In 2023, electric vehicles accounted for 20% of all cars sold in Washington, and there was a 43% increase in EVs and plug-ins registered in Washington, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Ongoing power outages have put pressure on charging stations across the region. There are still nearly 200,000 people without power across Puget Sound three days after a windstorm caused by a bomb cyclone off the Washington coast. The worst of the damage is on the Eastside and in east King County, where Puget Sound Energy expects to have power restored by Saturday at noon.