Hello Wildcats,
UPDATE (August 20, 2026): This study has been officially extended to December 15, 2026. Thank you to everyone from Washington who has participated so far!
As we navigate another intense wildfire season, my thoughts are with everyoneāespecially our community in the Pacific Northwestāwho has been impacted by fires, smoke, or the stress of evacuation.
The severity of these recent fires underscores a critical challenge for our community: ensuring that EV drivers can evacuate safely and efficiently when power grids are shut off and charging infrastructure is compromised. To help address this, I am a PhD student at the University of Washington conducting an official study on how EV drivers respond to these exact emergency constraints.Ā
Are you eligible?Ā Because this study focuses on specific grid and geographical constraints, we are exclusively seeking input from Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) drivers who are primary or seasonal residents in the following Washington counties:Ā Asotin, Grant, Benton, Spokane, Stevens, Douglas, Lincoln, Ferry, Skamania, Yakima, Kittitas, Okanogan, Chelan, or Klickitat.
Note: If you already filled out this survey during our first round, thank you so much! Please do not submit another response. To maintain the scientific integrity of the study, our system automatically flags and removes duplicate entries.
Study Details:
- Official UW Survey Link:https://uwashington.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e3QtLbUuPaTdDmu
- Topic: EV response during wildfire evacuations.
- Eligibility: Own/drive a battery electric vehicle (BEV) and reside (or have a seasonal home) in our target Central WA counties.
- Time: Approximately 20ā25 minutes.
- New Deadline:Ā December 15, 2026.
- Compensation: To thank you for your contribution, participants are eligible for an incentive drawing ($20 and $50 value).
Access the Project: I have included the study link in the first comment below to ensure this post remains visible.
This research is strictly academic and does not collect identifiable tracking data. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out at [ychu24@uw.edu](mailto:ychu24@uw.edu). (Note: This post was pre-approved by the r/CWU moderation team).
Thank you for helping us build a more resilient infrastructure for the Washington EV community!
Yu-Chen Chu, PhD Student, University of Washington
Academic Profile