2011032103 - Electric Vehicle Charging StationsOWR pF MEETING DATE: 3/21/11
ITEM NO:
Fps ASpS COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: MARCH 15, 2011
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL U
FROM: GREG LARSON, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
A. ACCEPT STAFF REPORT REGARDING THE STATUS OF ELECTRIC
VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND
CONSIDER INSTALLATION OF EV CHARGING STATIONS AT THREE
RECOMMENDED LOCATIONS.
B. AUTHORIZE STAFF TO ISSUE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, IF
NEEDED, FOR THE ACQUISITION OF THREE ELECTRIC CHARGING
STATIONS IN DOWNTOWN PARKING LOTS.
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Accept staff report regarding the status of electric vehicle stations in the downtown area and
consider installation of EV charging stations at three recommended locations;
2. Authorize staff to issue a Request for Proposals, if needed, for the purchase and installation
of three electric vehicle charging stations in downtown lots.
BACKGROUND
The Town of Los Gatos General Plan includes language that provides support for installing
Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations.
Action ENV -14.1 Provide incentives for new and existing commercial and residential projects
that provide parking spaces reserved for electric vehicles (EVs) and have a charging connection.
While the General Plan specifically calls for the provision of EV charging stations associated
with private development, the Town recognizes the potential benefit of providing additional
charging stations in certain downtown municipal parking lots, where the charging stations can be
made available for visitors, commuters, and residents.
PREPARED BY : TODD CAPURSO
Director of Parks and Public Works
Reviewed by: � Assistant Town Manager r� Town�ftarney�
Clerk Administrator ance Community Development
N:\PPW\MANAGEMENT\000NCIL \COUNCIL REPORTS @011 Reports\March 21 \ElectiicChazgingStations_=.l5.l Ldocx
PAGE 2
MARCH 15, 2011
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
BACKGROUND (cont'd)
Under the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Federal Department of
Energy (D.O.E.), there is currently funding in place for public agencies to acquire EV charging
station equipment free of charge through designated authorized distributors. One of these
opportunities is available through a Campbell company, Coulomb Technologies Inc. Coulomb
has proven to be an industry leader in providing EV charging station equipment to municipal
governments throughout Washington, Oregon, and California. Using funding from the D.O.E.,
Coulomb has executed agreements with the cities of San Francisco and San Jose to provide this
equipment for public use in municipal parking areas. Several other local municipalities are also
working with Coulomb on the installation of EV charging stations.
DISCUSSION
Prior to the December 6 2011 Town Council meeting, EVadvise, a partner of Coulomb
Technologies, performed an initial assessment of the Town's parking facilities and initially
recommended thirteen potential locations for installation. While all of these locations are
reasonable candidates for installation, several of the locations would require electrical panel
upgrades and would commit the Town to making improvements at a time when it is not clear
how such improvements would be funded.
A staff report on this subject was presented to the Town Council on December 6 2010. In that
report, staff recommended a process by which the Town could obtain up to six EV charging
stations at no cost (from Coulomb Technologies) and recommended six specific locations for
consideration and potential installation. The Council rejected that recommendation and
requested that staff return during the first quarter of 2011 with additional information regarding
the acquisition and installation process, as well information on alternate service providers.
Since the December 6 2010 Town Council meeting, staff has conducted additional research,
collaborating with EVadvise and several local agencies. Staff also began gathering information
from other potential service providers, including:
• ECOtality
• BetterPlace
• ClipperCreek
• AeroViromnent
Preliminary research indicates that none of these fn currently has grant funding available for
the purchase of publicly accessible EV charging stations. Both ECOtality and ClipperCreek
have access to D.O.E. funding; however, it is allocated for private and/or residential use (public
charging stations do not qualify). BetterPlace has access to funding as well, but it appears to be
PAGE
MARCH 15, 2011
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
DISCUSSION (cont'd.)
designated for battery swapping stations. AeroVironment, like ECOtality and ClipperCreek, has
access to D.O.E. funding for residential charging stations as well as chargers for more
commercial (higher volume) applications. While several of these vendors have the capability of
providing EV charging stations to the Town, it appears that none of the vendors are able to do so
at no -cost to the Town.
Coulomb Technologies appears to be the sole option for local agencies to acquire EV charging
stations at no cost, providing that a Letter of Intent (LOI) is signed and submitted. However, in
order to take full advantage of the federal funding under the D.O.E. program, the installation of
the charging stations must occur prior to September 30, 2011.
While the acquisition costs may be covered through grant funding, the installation costs should
be considered separately. EVadvise recently utilized a D.O.E. certified electrical contractor, REJ
Electric, to review and evaluate several potential locations throughout Town. Considering such
factors as sufficient power and the physical location of the electrical panels, the recommended
list of sites for immediate consideration has been reduced to three.
Staff concurs that from an infrastructure perspective, these three sites are viable candidates for
inclusion in an initial program because the retrofit and installation costs are relatively low and
the sites can be accomplished within the required timeline. In addition, the three sites represent
very different parking demand profiles which will aid in evaluating potential future installations.
Staff recommends that the Town Council consider the installation of EV charging stations at the
following locations:
• South Parking Lot
• Parking Lot 5 — between Elm and Main
• Parking Lot 3 — between Royce and Grays Lane
Based on information provided by REJ Electric, the installation costs for these three sites would
be approximately $2,000 per site for a basic, one - station installation. One site, Parking Lot 3,
has potential for an installation beyond one station. However, costs to accommodate two
additional charging stations would increase to $4,500 at this location. While that may be feasible
in the future, staff recommends that the Town Council consider a single charging station for this
location at this time.
Under this recommendation, the total cost for the installation of three charging stations at the
recommended locations is approximately $6,000. There would also be additional nominal costs
associated with new signage and parking lot re- striping. Some of these costs may be recoverable
through grant funding provided through the California Energy Commission (CEC) or the Bay
Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). However, the Town must make the initial
investment and apply for reimbursement after the work is complete.
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MARCH 15, 2011
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
SUBJECT: ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
DISCUSSION (cont'd.)
There may be increased operational expenses for the charging stations as well. The Coulomb
charging stations are part of a network of systems called ChargePoint America. The stations are
all linked electronically and the status and usage can be tracked using web -based software. The
operational costs associated with each station is estimated at $150 annually. These costs can be
absorbed into the pricing structure for use of the charging stations. If there is adequate usage of
the stations, these costs would be recovered.
Lastly, staff recommends continued research regarding the feasibility of installing charging
stations at the following locations:
• Library /Civic Center site — new parking area
• Balzer Field / PPW Corp Yard
• Creekside Sports Park
At the Library /Civic Center location, the necessary infrastructure can be incorporated in the
current construction project for less than $2,000 and the costs could be absorbed into the
constriction budget. Similarly, the necessary electrical site work could be accommodated during
the construction of the Creekside Sports Park. However, the timeline for both projects removes
them from current consideration because the Town cannot commit to either site being publicly
accessible by September 2011, which would disqualify the sites from the current D.O.E. funding.
The Balzer Field / PPW Corp Yard may be an attractive site in the future not only due to the
public access issue, but the site may also be attractive if the Town adds electric vehicles to its
fleet in future years. The costs to accommodate the additional electrical requirements at this site
are unknown at this time, but are likely to be higher than other sites considered. Therefore this
site is also not recommended for consideration at this time.
CONCLUSION
Based on the assessment of the sites considered as well as the programs available to the Town,
staff recommends that the town Council accept the staff report regarding the status of electric
vehicle charging stations in the downtown area, and consider the installation of EV charging
stations at the three recommended locations. Additionally, if additional information or
specificity is required regarding installations, staff will issue a Request for Proposals. The costs
associated with of acquisition, installation, and operations will all be evaluated as part of this
process. Staff will return to Council with the results and analysis in four to six weeks.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
This is a project as defined under CEQA but is Categorically Exempt (Section 15301c). A
Notice of Exemption will not be filed.
FISCAL IMPACT
None