Powell may be looking at a more electric-vehicle friendly future. 

City council members recently agreed to move forward on appraising two city-owned parcels in the Gateway West addition as a first step to advertising and holding a public meeting to announce intention to sell the parcels to two businesses both planning to put electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on site.

At a city council meeting last week, Yellowstone Motors requested permission to buy neighboring land for an expansion to allow room for EV Hummer sales. Anthony Brownlee, owner of Yellowstone Motors, said the dealership is in the process of meeting manufacturer requirements for future product, much of which will be electric.  

“Most future products coming from Buick will be 100% electric, Hummer 100% electric,” he said. “Toyota, a good portion of our future product will be electric, and Chevrolet too.”

Buick’s first electric vehicle is expected to be available in 2024, with plans for an all-electric lineup in the U.S. and Canada by the end of the decade.

The request came two weeks after local electric company Yellowstone Electric had requested permission to buy the other parcel next to the highway on Gateway to install a charging station. 

With the dealership expansion, some of the charging stations would be available for the public while others would be in the shop. Brownlee said in acquiring the parcel next to the dealership, it would allow for visitors to have a clear idea of where EV vehicles will be located vs. “ICE (internal combustion engine) legacy vehicles.

“Hummer is coming first and we need to be in position,” he said. “We need to have enough charging stations for our guests.”

Hummer is selling two 2022 model EV Hummers, one a pickup and the other a SUV. 

Fremont Motors is also in the process of planning for the introduction of electric vehicles at a future date. Manager Mike Hobbs said the current vehicle shortage due to high demand and low supply is affecting both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles, meaning there isn’t a likelihood of EVs at the lot anytime too soon. 

“We are in the planning and implementation stages of the charging units,” Hobbs said. “However, we do not have anything that we have broken ground on yet.”

He said that between the Powell and Cody Fremont dealerships they have the qualified staff to handle electric vehicles; the next step is just waiting until there is a clear idea on when they’d get any inventory, as popular EVs like the new F-150 Lightning have far more demand than supply. 

City council also requested planning and zoning take up the matter of a solar company with an office on North Clark Street that requested permission to install a two-vehicle charging station at a city street parking space in front of its business. 

There are no public charging stations in Powell listed on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center map, and only a few in Cody. While federal funds could be available for businesses to construct stations under a new federal program just approved in Wyoming, that money will be prioritized for interstate stops.

Who would buy an EV in Wyoming?

Mike Hobbs, manager of Fremont Motors in Powell, regularly finds himself towing trailers up in the mountains. He said that kind of behavior would not make him the best customer for an EV, at least when he’s towing uphill.

“Everybody’s needs and everybody’s life is different,” he said. “Is an electric vehicle here currently, good to use as your one, all around, everything vehicle, is it ideal? No. It probably is not.”

But, he said, it could be great for the mom who drops off her children, does a short commute to work and doesn’t exceed 100 miles a day.

“It’s a great vehicle for them, or even for our parts department,” he said. “For example, we’re exploring the option of getting an electric truck to do our parts runs as all are within about a 100 mile radius and home every night. We can plug it in every night and so it would work perfectly.”

For a business, he said another benefit is that the only regular maintenance required is getting tire rotations.