Title
Recommendation to Endorse a Grant Application to the Charging and Fuel Infrastructure Grant Program Administered by the United States Department of Transportation for the Alameda Public Electric Vehicle Charging Project.
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this project is categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (operation, repair, maintenance, and/or minor alteration of existing structures, facilities, and/or mechanical equipment involving negligible expansion of existing use), Section 15303 (new construction and conversion of small structures and equipment), and Section 15304 (minor trenching). (Planning, Building and Transportation 10062032)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (City) is moving forward with a strategy to increase the citywide availability of electric vehicle (EV) chargers by installing public chargers in City-owned parking lots. This strategy is a priority in the City’s 2019 Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP). Providing public EV charging makes owning an electric vehicle more accessible for residents who rent, live in homes without driveways or garages, and those who live in multi-family apartments. Public EV charging can also help attract visitors to Alameda to charge their vehicles and visit Alameda businesses.
City staff propose applying for the federal Charging and Fuel Infrastructure (CFI) grant, established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to provide funding to install EV charging in priority city-owned lots The total proposed project cost is $4,725,496 with a 20% match ($362,200) funded by a private provider, as required by the grant, who will also be responsible for the construction, installation, maintenance, and operation of charging infrastructure funded under this grant. Staff intends to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to enter into an agreement with a provider to install, manage, and maintain the network of public EV charging sites on behalf of the City.
BACKGROUND
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted a rule that by 2035, all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the state must be electric vehicles or other emissions-free models. The rule will phase in over time with 35 percent of vehicles being either zero-emission, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen-powered models by 2026, and 68 percent in 2030. This shift makes it imperative that the City has adequate charging solutions available to its residents to ensure EV ownership is possible for all - regardless of income or living situation.
Alameda’s 2019 CARP calls for reducing the 70% of citywide greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by shifting trips to walking, biking and transportation and encouraging the adoption of EVs for those trips that cannot be shifted. To date, the City has taken the following EV related actions as identified in the CARP:
• Updated the City’s off-street parking ordinance to require EV charging in all new residential and commercial developments that extend beyond the requirements of the California Green Building Standards Code;
• Streamlined the permitting process for residential and commercial EV chargers;
• AMP promotes the purchase of zero emission vehicles through outreach and communications activities, including EV 101 webinars, EV Expos, Ride and Drive events, and educational materials;
• AMP provides a rebate of up to $6,000 for the purchase of a used EV with a value of up to $40,000;
• AMP provides rebates for EV chargers as follows:
o $500 for Level 2 residential chargers (this was reduced from $800 in 2023)
o $8,000 per charger, up to $48,000 for qualifying multi-family buildings
o $6,000 per charger, up to $39,000, for up to 6 level 2 charging stations per commercial site and $500 per additional port
• AMP provides 100% clean electricity at rates on average 36% below PG&E rates, provides a time of use rate option for EV owners to charge during off peak hours, and free Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFC) EV chargers at the AMP office for public use;
• City is replacing light duty vehicles with EVs as they are replaced when available and feasible; and
• City installed EV chargers in the Civic Center parking garage and is installing EV chargers at the Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal parking lot.
The remaining CARP action item to be addressed is related to expanding the availability of public EV charging citywide by installing charging stations in City-owned parking lots, which is a 2023 priority for CARP implementation and the focus of this report.
DISCUSSION
As of 2022, 5.2% of registered vehicles in Alameda are electric, plug-in hybrid or fuel cell vehicles, for a total of 2,721 vehicles. Since 2019, AMP issued 441 rebates for Level 2 residential EV chargers, seven rebates for multi-family chargers and 17 rebates for commercial chargers.
Level 2 charging equipment offers charging through 240V electrical service (in residential applications) or 208V (in commercial applications), and is common for home, workplace, and public charging. Level 2 chargers provide approximately 25 miles per hour of charge. Level 2 require less infrastructure than Level 3, also known as DCFC, which can make them a cost-effective option in long-term public parking locations. Many residents use Level 2 chargers for their home charger. DCFC are the fastest speed and can provide 200-400 miles per hour of charge, which is an 80% charge in 30 minutes to an hour. DCFC can provide residents with a full charge in approximately the time they might spend at a park, shopping or dining, however, they are more expensive to install and often require additional infrastructure such as new electrical transformers to provide the necessary electrical demand.
Public EV chargers are currently available in the following locations in Alameda and shown on the map in Exhibit 1:
|
Site Name |
Site Address |
Level of Charging |
Number of Ports |
|
Target Parking Lot |
2700 5th Street |
DCFC |
6 |
|
Nob Hill Foods |
2531 Blanding Avenue |
DCFC |
2 |
|
Alameda Municipal Power |
2000 Grand Street |
DCFC |
4 |
|
Civic Center Garage |
1416 Oak Street |
L2 |
4 |
|
South Shore Ctr (West) |
2210 South Shore Center |
L2 |
2 |
|
South Shore Ctr (East) |
523 South Shore Center |
DCFC (Tesla only) |
12 |
|
Broadway Management (Employee) |
1516 Oak Street |
L2 |
2 |
|
Harbor Bay Park (Employee) |
1131-1151 Harbor Bay Parkway |
L2 |
14 |
|
Home2Suites (Hotel Guests) |
1660 Harbor Bay Parkway |
L2 |
2 |
|
Total Existing Public EV Charging Ports |
48 |
The City has fewer public EV chargers per capita than other Alameda County cities. To guide the expansion of the public EV charging network, staff developed the following draft goals in regards to additional public EV charging:
• Provide affordable public EV chargers within a quarter-mile of all residents within Alameda and within 0.1 miles in multi-unit development hot spots.
• Prioritize DCFC at parks, commercial areas and other short-term parking locations when feasible.
• Provide Level 2 charging options in longer-term parking lots such as Civic Center garage, ferry terminals, Park and Ride, and others.
• Prioritize chargers in equity priority locations.
• Take advantage of all available funds from federal, state, regional, and local sources to limit costs incurred to the City.
To meet these goals, staff is taking the following actions:
• Applying for the federal CFI grant to provide funding to install EV charging in priority city-owned lots (locations listed below).
• Preparing to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to enter into an agreement with a single provider to install, manage, and maintain the network of public EV charging sites on behalf of the City and at low or no cost to the City. The City may also facilitate this provider in seeking opportunities to install EV chargers in shopping centers, schools, and other publicly available parking locations to provide a dense network of public EV chargers citywide.
The CFI grant was established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The grant provides $700 million nationally to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure, located on public roads or in other publicly accessible locations and along designated alternative fuel corridors such as I-880 to accelerate an electrified and alternative fuel transportation system that is convenient, affordable, reliable, equitable, accessible, and safe and helps put the U.S. on a path to a nationwide network of at least 500,000 EV chargers by 2030. The grant program also seeks to implement Justice40 objectives to increase affordable transportation options, improve safety, connect Americans to good-paying jobs, fight climate change, and improve access to resources and quality of life. Justice40 areas have been identified by Census tract by the federal government. Multi-unit development (MUD) hot spots can also be used to identify areas where there is a high density of apartment buildings that might not have access to home charging.
The City is prioritizing DCFC in short term parking locations, as feasible, and Level 2 for longer term parking locations. Staff is proposing to request funding from the CFI program for up to 13 identified potential locations shown in the table and on the map in Exhibit 1.
|
Site Address |
Site Name |
Charger Type |
Number of Ports |
Justice 40 Area |
MUD Hotspot |
Estimated Site Cost |
|
2312 Central Ave |
Central Ave Lot (Lot C) |
DCFC |
2 |
Yes |
Yes |
$418,952 |
|
1416 Oak St |
Civic Center Garage |
Level 2 |
6 |
Yes |
Yes |
$210,827 |
|
1155 Santa Clara Ave |
Mastick Senior Center |
Level 2 |
4 |
No |
Yes |
$114,501 |
|
711 Santa Clara Ave |
West End Lot (Lot W) |
DCFC |
2 |
No |
Yes |
$418,952 |
|
1925 Sherman St |
Jean Sweeney Park |
DCFC |
2 |
Yes |
No |
$418,952 |
|
300 Island Dr |
HBI Park and Ride |
Level 2 |
10 |
No |
No |
$228,818 |
|
950 W Mall Square |
City Hall West |
Level 2 |
4 |
Yes |
No |
$128,365 |
|
1550 Oak St |
Main Library |
DCFC |
2 |
Yes |
Yes |
$413,887 |
|
230 Mosley Ave |
Estuary Park |
DCFC |
1 |
Yes |
Yes |
$288,652 |
|
2263 Santa Clara Ave |
City Hall |
DCFC |
2 |
Yes |
Yes |
$413,887 |
|
1418 Park Ave |
Park Ave Lot (A) |
DCFC |
2 |
No |
Yes |
$413,887 |
|
1333 Eighth St |
Washington Park |
DCFC |
4 |
No |
Yes |
$627,908 |
|
3221 Mecartney Rd |
Bay Farm Island Library |
DCFC |
4 |
No |
No |
$627,908 |
|
Total Request |
|
|
45 |
|
$4,725,496 |
The cost estimate per site includes the charger equipment costs, five years of maintenance and network charges, Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) engineering, materials and labor costs, installation materials and labor, and AMP rebates for Level 2 chargers.
In addition to installing EV chargers, the City is seeking to provide an additional 3% of the total project cost, as allowed by the grant, to conduct education and community engagement activities to support EV adoption and engage the community in selecting the final EV charger locations.
The next step is to contract with a single provider to install, operate and expand the chargers on behalf of the City. This provider will be responsible for providing the required 20% grant match, will receive charging revenue fees and claim any Low Carbon Fuel Standard Credits. They will also be responsible for paying AMP electricity costs associated with EV charging. Contracting with a partner will provide the City with greater opportunity to expand EV charging access in Alameda at low or no cost to the City. The City plans to issue an RFP to select a provider who can comprehensively manage the City’s public EV charging program and expand the network over time at low or no cost to the City. This provider contract will be brought to City Council for final approval.
ALTERNATIVES
• Approve submittal of the grant application recommended by staff.
• Deny the request to apply for the grant.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact from applying for this grant. If the grant is awarded, the provider selected in the RFP process will be responsible for 20% of the project costs and the grant will cover the remaining 80%. The City will structure the RFP to ensure the provider is covering most, if not all, the project costs in exchange for ownership of the charging stations. It is unlikely that the City will incur any costs from this project. The agreement with the provider will be subject to future City Council approval if the grant is awarded.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
Installing EV charging in City-owned lots is consistent with the Alameda 2040 General Plan. Specifically, General Plan Policy CC-6 supports the increase in supply of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations in Alameda.
Strategy T6 of the CARP (2019) calls for adding public charging stations in all City-owned parking lots.
Project and Program #34 in the Transportation Choices Plan (2018) calls out the need for new technologies and innovations to “improve mobility for all modes within Alameda.”
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The project is categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (operation, repair, maintenance, and/or minor alteration of existing structures, facilities, and/or mechanical equipment involving negligible expansion of existing use), Section 15303 (new construction and conversion of small structures and equipment for the EV chargers), and Section 15304 (minor trenching). The installation of the chargers will be located in “urbanized areas” of which Alameda can be characterized, and the total impacted areas will be less than 10,000 square feet. None of the exceptions to the categorical exemptions apply.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Supporting the adoption of EVs will help the City meet its goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by shifting gas powered vehicles towards to use to 100% clean electricity provided by AMP. The City’s 2019 Climate Action and Resiliency Plan found that transportation accounts for 70% of the City’s GHG emissions, and that expanding EV adoption for those trips that cannot be shifted to walking, biking or transit is paramount to reducing transportation-related emissions.
RECOMMENDATION
Endorse the City of Alameda’s grant application to the CFI Grant Program Administered by the United States Department of Transportation for the Alameda Public Electric Vehicle Charging Project.
Respectfully submitted,
Allen Tai, Acting Planning, Building and Transportation Director
By,
Danielle Mieler, Sustainability and Resilience Manager
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Map of Existing and Proposed Charging Locations
cc: Erin Smith, Public Works Director