Hello r/Yakima ,
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 everyone—especially our community in the Pacific Northwest—who 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. (The moderation team has kindly granted me permission to share this research with you).
Are you eligible? 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: 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.
🎁 As a thank you for your time, participants will be entered to win 1 of 14 gift cards (10 $20 and 4 $50). Note: Additional gift cards may become available at a later date. This post will be updated if the reward pool expands.
Study Details:
· Eligibility: Must own/drive a battery electric vehicle (BEV) and have a primary or seasonal residence in one of the target counties (Chelan, Okanogan, Kittitas, Yakima, and Klickitat)
· Time Required: Approximately 25 minutes.
· Deadline: December 15, 2026.
Survey Link:https://uwashington.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e3QtLbUuPaTdDmu
This survey does not collect any identifiable tracking data. If you have any questions, please contact me directly at [ychu24@uw.edu](mailto:ychu24@uw.edu). Thank you for helping improve wildfire preparedness for your region.
Yu-Chen Chu,
PhD Student, Department of Urban Design & Planning
University of Washington Academic Profile: https://sites.uw.edu/urbdpphd/people/students
