The East Zion National Park Electric Vehicle Shuttle System Project will demonstrate a small scale, environmentally-sound, zero-emission, electric vehicle shuttle system through the East entrance of Zion National Park. This project will prove viability of electric vehicles (EV) in a rugged environment with extreme temperature variations and difficult road conditions in Southern Utah. The project has been designed for universal scalability, with deployment in other high-traffic, environmentally sensitive National and State Parks throughout the United States in mind.
Methods to be Employed
In conjunction with the Utah Clean Cities Coalition, NCCC will employ the following four steps as part of this project to prove the viability of a scalable EV shuttle at Zion National Park:
- Identify barriers to EV infrastructure and EV deployment
- Develop and demonstrate modern, advanced Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment infrastructure as a clean, reliable, time-efficient fueling source
- Acquire, deploy, and test two commercially available, 16-passenger Electric Vehicles, and develop two shuttle stops and one Shuttle Hub with EVSE
- Develop a complementary project that supports National Park’s in Northern Colorado current master plan with the intention to scale to other EV shuttle deployment projects.
- Heightened adoption and awareness for alternatively fueled transportation methods.
- Increased regional resiliency and connectivity.
- Reduced environmental impacts (energy consumption, pollution, and ambient noise)
- Improved guest experience due to reduced wait times and park traffic.
Check out what the National Parks and Clean Cities are doing together to green rides in Rocky Mountain National Park!