OtterSpace Electric Vehicle, a Wyoming-based company, is taking charge of building electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the state. OtterSpace is installing fast charging and Level 2 charging services to Lander, Pinedale, Dubois and Laramie.
Vice president Kristen Gunther said the company was founded in 2021 by Mike Yin who is also a Teton County state representative. Gunther said they realized the infrastructure was needed to empower EV tourists who want to access the state and communities and also give Wyomingites the consumer choice to get the next generation of vehicles that are coming to market. She said it's beneficial to be a Wyoming-based company that knows the communities and can work with them to develop infrastructure that makes sense for the state. The choice of locations within a town for the chargers was economically driven.
“What I think is going to be really beneficial about having infrastructure, and in particular, having infrastructure placed in downtowns, near amenities, near things where people can do things, is that hopefully it will entice drivers to get out of their car, make stops [and] patronize local businesses,” said Gunther.
Lander’s 120 kW fast charging station will be located at the Fremont County Pioneer Museum on the west end of Lander. The museum is also walking distance from a City of Lander visitor’s center and a number of local retail stops. Anticipated to be in service by early June, the Lander charger is the first of three projects planned to eventually bring charging to all three Fremont County Museum locations.
“Maybe [the drivers] spend that 15 to 30 minutes or longer visiting some interesting locations while they charge,” said Gunther. “And hopefully, you know, say they pull into the Lander charger…hopefully they learn a little bit about Lander and maybe they decide to stay a little bit longer than they planned to.”
The Dubois fast charger will also be located at a museum, in this case, the Dubois Museum. While the Pinedale station will be installed on public parking in the heart of downtown. Meanwhile, the Laramie Level 2 charging station will be downtown as well.
All charging stations announced thus far should work by early fall. The company is already working with other communities in the state to put in EV charging stations.
Editor’s note: The author of this article owns an EV.
