Title
Discuss Public Electric Vehicle Charging in City-Owned Parking Lots (Discussion)
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Transportation Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (City) is moving forward with a strategy to increase the availability of electric vehicle (EV) chargers citywide 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 will support residents who rent, live in homes without driveways or garages and those who live in multi-family apartments to more easily own an electric vehicle. Public EV charging can also help attract visitors to Alameda to charge their vehicles and visit Alameda businesses while they are charging. A draft EV Charging Existing Conditions and Needs report shown in Exhibit 1, which includes an inventory of City-owned public parking lots and curbside locations adjacent to public facilities for potential EV charging.
Staff is proposing the following actions to increase EV charging infrastructure citywide:
• Applying for the federal Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant to provide funding to install EV charging in priority city-owned lots.
• Preparing to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to enter into an agreement with a EV charging provider to install, manage, and maintain the network of public EV charging sites on behalf of the City.
No action is required at this time. This report is for review and comment purposes only.
BACKGROUND
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has adopted a rule that by 2035, all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the state 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 Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (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 electric vehicles (EVs) for those trips that can’t be shifted. To date, the City has accomplished the following actions identified in CARP related to EVs:
• 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 $800 for Level 2 residential chargers
o $8,000 per charger, up to $48,000 for qualifying multi-family buildings
o up to $39,000 for up to 6 level 2 charging stations per commercial site
• 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 DCFC EV chargers at the AMP office for public use;
• City is replacing light duty vehicles with EVs as they are replaced; 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 action item in CARP to be addressed is related to expanding the availability of public EV charging citywide by installing charging stations in all City-owned parking lots, which is 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 has 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 (in residential applications) or 208V (in commercial applications) electrical service, and is common for home, workplace, and public charging. Level 2 chargers provide about 25 miles per hour of charge. Level 2 require less infrastructure than Level 3 or Direct Current Fast Chargers (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 is the fastest speed and can provide 200-400 miles per hour of charge, providing an 80% charge in 30 min to an hour. DCFC are more expensive and often require additional infrastructure such as new transformers to provide the needed electrical demand.
Public EV chargers are currently available in the following locations in Alameda:
Staff has 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 possible.
• Provide Level 2 charging options in longer-term parking lots such as Civic Center garage, ferry terminals, Park n 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 Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant to provide funding to install EV charging in priority city-owned lots.
• Preparing to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to enter into an agreement with a single third-party organization (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 Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant, established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The grant provides $700 million nationally to strategically deploy electric vehicle (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 help 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 develop (MUD) Hotspots 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 initial funding for up to six identified locations as follows:
Additionally, CFI encourages scalable projects that can be added to the priority sites as funds allow. Staff recommends requesting scalable funds for an additional nine charging locations as follows:
The cost estimate per site includes the charger equipment costs, 5 years of maintenance and network charges, Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) engineering, materials and labor costs, installation materials and labor, and includes AMP rebates for Level 2 chargers.
In addition to installing EV chargers, the City is seeking to provide an additional 5% 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 charger locations.
The City is seeking 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.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
Installing EV charging in City-owned lots is consistent with the General Plan (2021). Specifically, policy CC-6 to support 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
No CEQA review is needed for an information item. However, the purpose of this report is to protect the environment through supporting the adoption of zero emission vehicles and the implementation of the City’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan.
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
Review and comment on public electric vehicle charging in city-owned parking lots.
No action is required at this time. This report is for information purposes.
Respectfully submitted,
Danielle Mieler, Sustainability and Resilience Manager
Exhibit:
1. Draft Electric Vehicles Existing Conditions and Needs Assessment