washington business
Of Note
AAA Rolls Out America’s First Roadside Assistance Trucks
for Electric Vehicles
This spring, AAA Washington will roll out its first
roadside assistance truck
with the capability to quickly charge electric vehicles.
Seattle is one of six metropolitan areas nationwide
to be part of a pilot program that began last fall; Portland, Ore., the San Francisco Bay area, Los
Angeles, Knoxville, Tenn., and the Tampa Bay area are also piloting the
roadside assistance charging project.
The new trucks are equipped with different forms of technology used
for EV mobile charging. The trucks will provide service to members with
“depleted” vehicles and Level 2 and 3 roadside charging. Level 1 is a standard 120-volt household outlet, which would take roughly 20-hours to
fully charge a Nissan Leaf. Level 2 is 240 volts AC, commonly used with
household electric appliances like clothing dryers. Level 2 connections
can charge a Nissan Leaf in approximately six hours. A Level 3 current
is DC, charging at high voltage — up to 500 volts DC. A depleted Nissan
Leaf could go to an 80 percent charge with a Level 3 service in about 30
minutes. The AAA Roadside Assistance program for electric vehicles is
modeled after its program for internal combustion engines that run out of
fuel: AAA will provide enough charge time for the vehicle to drive three
to 15 miles to a charging station.
Strong Salmon Runs Predicted This Year
The latest surge of spring chinook is expected to be the fourth largest return
since 1980, according to Northwest River Partners. The forecast is part of
an upward trend, the group notes: Salmon counted at Bonneville, the first
dam that salmon must navigate have been increasing. What’s more, runs at
Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River, the last of seven dams salmon and
have to navigate, have also been growing.
Northwest Rivers Partners Executive Director Terry Flores wrote in her
February monthly report, “2012 is predicted to be another really good year
for returning salmon and steelhead with
nearly all runs expected to be above 10
year averages. Favorable ocean conditions
are the key driver with NOAA Fisheries
saying a ‘rich biological community’ and
cool temperatures should provide productive conditions for fish.”
The hydro system is doing its part too, Flores notes. Last year’s numbers
showed young fish surviving downstream at levels meeting the performance standards set in the hydro system Biologic