With Utah’s uncharacteristically mild winter, Utah County has not experienced too many of those dreadful inversion days. But that is not stopping local companies and legislators from still being proactive about air quality.

Just before the onslaught of crowds during the Sundance Film Festival, Rocky Mountain Power, Summit County and Salt Lake City cut the ribbon Jan. 17 on the installation of new electric vehicle fast-charging stations in Kimball Junction. The installation is part of the Rocky Mountain Power’s Live Electric campaign to improve air quality between Salt Lake City and Park City. The Live Electric campaign will install more than 700 stations in the Intermountain West region over the next three years.

“The goal of the Live Electric campaign is to incentivize the move toward electric vehicles, and the installation of these charging stations is one way of doing that,” said Cindy Crane, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Power, in a press release about the event. “We’re working hard to put in place the policies and infrastructure needed to support 50,000 more electric cars on Utah roads in the next 10 years. Doing so will drastically improve our air quality — and ultimately, our quality of life.”

Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox said in a phone call with the Daily Herald that this is just the start of important infrastructure for the state. It’s no secret Utah’s air quality is not always the best. And “50 percent of dangerous pollutants come out of our tailpipes,” he explained.

“But unless we have infrastructure, people won’t buy electric vehicles. Having infrastructure is a game changer, and will help people invest in electric vehicles,” he said.

Cox explained further that Utah is looking at more infrastructure needs along travel corridors around the state. Connecting tourist areas are a priority so people can travel longer distances.

“The goal is to have them spaced almost as frequently as gas stations,” Cox said.

The majority of Utah County residents’ travel, though, is along the Wasatch Front. This is where companies are stepping in to enact change. Many tech companies around the county have instituted ride-sharing programs, shuttle systems, and located themselves close to transit options — all with the goal of minimizing commuting and stuck-in-traffic times for their employees.

Homie, the Utah real estate tech company, also utilizes these same programs. Johnny Hanna, Homie CEO, said they chose to locate their headquarters right next to the South Jordan FrontRunner train stop specifically to give employees that option for getting to and from work.

“The stop is literally in our parking lot. And it’s way more expensive to buy space right near FrontRunner, but we’ve chosen to pick up that tab, to help Utah have clean air,” Hanna said in a phone interview.

The company has also been taking air quality preservation a step further. He explained his company’s “Work from Home Wednesday” program, which encourages teams to choose a day of the week to work remotely. Some groups have chosen Wednesday, other teams utilize a different day.

Hanna said he is also looking at an app that will help employees carpool to work. Hanna himself commutes from Orem, and with 75 employees traveling to their office from as far away as Ogden and Spanish Fork, he hopes to adopt something that will connect employees who live near each other.

“If all of us were able to adopt something like that, we’d make a big difference,” he said.

Outside the office, Vivint Solar, the Lehi-based full-service residential solar provider, recently announced a strategic agreement with ChargePoint, the world’s largest electric vehicle charging network, to offer ChargePoint Home charging solutions directly to its residential customers. ChargePoint Home offers an innovative home charging solution for electric vehicle drivers, right in their own garages.

“We’re committed to getting everyone behind the wheel of an electric vehicle with solutions that enable drivers to charge everywhere they live, work and play,” said Colleen Jansen, chief marketing officer for ChargePoint, in a press release about the partnership. “Along with unprecedented EV adoption, we’re seeing growing interest in solar among drivers, so we’re excited to partner with Vivint Solar to offer a complete solution that not only enables people to choose to drive electric, but also charge up conveniently at home with solar energy.”

Two bills, House Bill 101 and House Bill 331, have been introduced in the 2018 General Legislative Session dealing with air quality in Utah.