In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Clean Cities program funded 16 state programs as part of its Community Readiness and Planning for Plug-In Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure awards, which totaled $8.5 million. The projects were envisioned as a way to streamline the further implementation of an electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in communities around the country. 

“As a department, we continue to have a really strong interest in communities becoming ready for electric plug-in vehicles, and, if they are ready, we want them to progress because there is a lot communities have to do,” said Linda Bluestein, the U.S. DOE’s national Clean Cities co-director.

The idea for the program stemmed from a 2010 public meeting where Bluestein and her team learned that certain communities were already creating partnerships and developing best practices to deal with the increase in EV production.

“But, this was only in certain areas of the country, and they were only at the beginning stages of planning. We wanted to move this forward because we saw that the floodgates were going to open and all these plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) were going to be on the market,” Bluestein explained. “The worst thing that could happen is a lack of knowledge by the dealer that sells them or by the consumer that wants to buy them or people that permit for home charger installations, or even vehicle maintenance.”

By combining the right education and the right best practices, Bluestein believed this would be something that communities could “sail past” and implement infrastructure and implementation.

“You want to advance the regulation and the codes in these areas so that best practices are put into place along the way,” Bluestein added.

This idea quickly became a reality when, on Sept. 8, 2011, then U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the 16 awards, which helped prepare communities in 24 states and the District of Columbia to adopt PEV technologies.

But, it isn’t just the adoption of this technology that communities need to be concerned about. According to Bluestein, there are a number of small details that need to be looked into when deciding where a charging station should be located.

“You’re going to be concerned with everything from the weight of the cord, to whether or not there’s not a tripping hazard,” she said.

To deter from “getting iced,” which Bluestien explained as when people with an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle park in a space meant for an electric vehicle with charging equipment, good parking enforcement policies need to be put in place.

Communities involved in the project also looked at the demographics and travel patterns to determine where to place public charging stations so they would have a clear path to build corridors and stations.

“Between the infrastructure and the fact that the location of stations really need to be planned out, there’s a lot to it,” she concluded. 

Following are snapshots of some of the Clean Cities programs involved in the EV Readiness project.[PAGEBREAK]

Creating a ‘Plug-in Ready’ Michigan

Although it was funded by U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Clean Cities program, stakeholders for the Plug-in Ready Michigan project helped create the Plug-in Electric Vehicle Preparedness Taskforce 2010 under the direction of Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) Chairman Orjiakor Isiogu. The taskforce, which includes a diverse mix of governmental entities, electric utility companies, municipalities, businesses, and non-profit agencies involved in the EV industry, was charged with coordinating the development of a comprehensive plan to ensure a positive customer experience and broad acceptance of plug-in electric vehicles in Michigan.

“Most municipalities see the value in planning for EVs; however, most cannot allocate staff or funds to properly prepare their area for electric vehicles,” said Mark Rabinsky, project manager of the Clean Energy Coalition. “For this reason, we chose early on to focus on creating a guide book, complete with resources such as sample planning/zoning language, which city planning offices could reference.”

While developing the plan, Rabinsky and his team learned that incentives for EV charging stations were not always necessary.

“They certainly help, but EV infrastructure deployment can be encouraged through other means. Most notably, as we discovered with the City of Auburn Hills, Mich., a request can simply be made to a new business development to prepare for EV charging stations. Most, if not all, developers are happy to add conduit in parking lots for future EV stations. The cost to install conduit is relatively inexpensive when the site is being developed,” Rabinsky said.

Looking at Florida’s Electric Future

When looking at the current state of EV infrastructure in Southeast Florida, the South Florida Regional Planning Council, Southeast Florida Clean Cities Coalition, and Florida Power & Light Company, as well local governments and private companies, decided to create the Southeast Florida Electric Vehicle and Infrastructure Alliance to turn a potential EV population of 74,000 vehicles and owners into a reality.

But, getting the area plug-in ready was only step one in the plan; step two is the Miami-Dade US-1 Clean Transportation Corridor Project. The project will explore whether exposing the approximately 50,000 daily Metrorail commuters to self-service rental/car-share and vehicle charging opportunities, through a car-sharing program along the US-1 mass-transit corridor, can accelerate the mainstream adoption of these technologies and/or create incentives for increased use of regional transit services.

Looking at Florida’s Electric Future

When looking at the current state of EV infrastructure in Southeast Florida, the South Florida Regional Planning Council, Southeast Florida Clean Cities Coalition, and Florida Power & Light Company, as well local governments and private companies, decided to create the Southeast Florida Electric Vehicle and Infrastructure Alliance to turn a potential EV population of 74,000 vehicles and owners into a reality.

But, getting the area plug-in ready was only step one in the plan; step two is the Miami-Dade US-1 Clean Transportation Corridor Project. The project will explore whether exposing the approximately 50,000 daily Metrorail commuters to self-service rental/car-share and vehicle charging opportunities, through a car-sharing program along the US-1 mass-transit corridor, can accelerate the mainstream adoption of these technologies and/or create incentives for increased use of regional transit services.[PAGEBREAK]

Plugging in the Golden State

When Clean Cities announced the availability of grants to back local EV readiness projects, the state of California, for the first time, responded in unison. Under the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle (PEV) Collaborative and other organizations banded together to forecast PEV adoption in the state.

“It took a lot of coordination to get everyone on board, but it was a very successful project and a good model on how California should approach DOE grants in the future,” said Lisa Chiladakis, manager, communications and programs at the PEV Collaborative.

The PEV Collaborative’s plan included three sets of activities: the creation of a readiness and related one-day workshops, six regional infrastructure plans, and a statewide coordinating council to collectively address issues. When it came to the regional readiness efforts, five core readiness elements were decided on:

  • Update zoning and parking policies.
  • Update local building codes.
  • Streamline permitting and inspection processes.
  • Participate in training and education programs for local officials.
  • Market and outreach to local residents and businesses.

“We learned about a lot of good work being done on the local level to support PEVs and also learned that some areas needed a lot of support and still had a long way to go,” Chiladakis said. “Although a lot has been done to move PEV readiness forward on the local level, there is still a lot to be done in some areas to streamline the permitting and inspection process, reduce fees, update building codes and parking policies and on outreach and education.”

At the end of the one-year DOE grant program, the CEC piggy-backed on the project to extend it one more year, ending in 2013. The contributing PEV Coordinating Councils submitted final PEV Readiness Plans, which has spurred the CEC to look at another round of funding to help the PEV Coordinating Councils implement elements of their PEV readiness Plans.

“The PEV Collaborative is currently working to educate stakeholders about the benefits of workplace charging and help tenants and property owners with PEV charging at multi-unit dwellings such as apartment buildings and condos,” Chiladakis added.

More information on these programs can be found at www.pevcollaborative.org/workplace-charging and www.pevcollaborative.org/MuD. 

Creating an EV Roadmap in Oregon

When it came time to develop a statewide plan that would address next-generation deployment strategies of  plug-in electric vehicles, Oregon also turned to the Clean Cities EV Readiness Program for funding. The plan, Energizing Oregon, had three main objectives:

  • Integrate and optimize existing Oregon PEV readiness efforts.
  • Develop a statewide PEV market and community plan.
  • Create momentum for reaching national PEV deployment goal.

“The Governor’s Office appointed a task force to explore alternative transportation fuels, and this group identified electricity as a key fuel for the future,” said Mark Brady, a clean technology strategist at Business Oregon. “This led to a council focused exclusively on transportation electrification that identified keys steps that needed to be taken and ultimately helped guide the development and execution of the EV readiness project.”

As part of the project, shareholders attempted to create solutions to reduce the higher up-front costs of PEVs, as well as develop and adopt building code changes to ease the process of installing charging stations, which was not without its challeges.

“The coordination of the more than 50 partners was an ongoing challenge,” Brady said. “Another constant challenge was keeping people focused on the fact that this was a planning effort and less of an implementation project.”

As part of the community education and outreach aspect, the Energizing Oregon partners staged ride-and-drive events to give consumers firsthand experience with PEVs.

“EVs in tourism and workplace charging are great ways to increase this exposure,” Brady added. “The exposure can be through using an EV as a tourist, facilitating the use of an EV in new activities, and increasing exposure and comfort with the vehicles.”[PAGEBREAK]

Plugging in from Mountains to Sea

North Carolina’s Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition (CCFC) stepped up to the plate when it came bringing the electric vehicle revolution to the Tar Heel State.

“There’s certainly a healthy appetite for PEVs in North Carolina, which we now monitor through the collection of PEV registration data from North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles,” said Sean Flaherty, senior planner – sustainability and co-coordinator of CCFC.

The project established regional PEV readiness plans and, through the establishment of a taskforce, a PEV readiness “roadmap” for the state. The plans were developed for four of the leading metropolitan areas in North Carolina, as well as a state-wide plan. One of the biggest hurdles, according to Katie Drye, transportation project manager at Advanced Energy, was organizing the number of project stakeholders.

“North Carolina is fortunate to have a large number of local stakeholders who are both engaged in their local communities as well as at a statewide and regional level,” Drye said. “A key focus of the project was harnessing stakeholder engagement in order to share information across the metropolitan regions while maintaining the unique elements specific to each region.”

Flaherty agreed that stakeholder engagement is crucial to any planning process, especially one related to an industry that is developing so quickly.

“While authoring North Carolina’s first PEV Readiness Plans, our Steering Committee could not have imagined that we would see the deployment of DC fast chargers so quickly,” Flaherty said. “Thanks to the stakeholder-base created through the planning process, we have been able to take advantage of opportunities to install our state’s first network of DC fast chargers both efficiently and effectively, taking into account the variety of issues needed to make the deployment of this new technology for our state a success.”

The efforts of CCFC and its partners are expected to strengthen existing local and regional initiatives in communities and coordinate efforts across the state. The plans address the specific needs of communities, which can include updating permit processes, revising codes, training municipal personnel, promoting public awareness, and developing incentives.

“As the number and variety of PEVs on our roads double and even triple in some locations, issues such as interconnectivity for charging, signage plus education and outreach continue to be a focus of our work,” Flaherty added. “North Carolina’s PEV Readiness Plans established the platform for these conversations to continue, as they have evolved alongside the PEV industry.”

Bringing the Mission to the Big Apple

As part of its plan to “unlock urban demand,” the City of New York partnered with Empire Clean Cities, as well as with the mayor’s offices of Boston and Philadelphia, to create Mission Electric, which educates and engages the general public about EVs and assist in the deployment of EVs in these major metropolitan areas.   

The New York City EV readiness plan began with the release of an EV consumer adoption study that looked at the city’s power grid, current EV technology, driving patterns, and consumer preferences to see how EVs would perform. Researchers assessed that the NYC power system was well suited for EV adoption and found that more than 20 percent of the City’s residents were potential early adopters of EVs.

The results of the study spurred NYC officials to use its public influence and purchasing power to make EV charging more accessible to residents, as well as add more EVs to its own fleet, including the taxis that ferry residents and visitors around the five boroughs.

“We’ll work with the City Council to amend the Building Code so that up to 20 percent of all new public parking spaces in private developments will be wired and ready for electric vehicles, creating up to 10,000 parking spots for electric vehicles over the next seven years,” promised  former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg during his final State of the City address in 2013.

According to the NYC Progress Report 2014, a report compiled and written by Mayor Bill De Blasio’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, the City operates 600 plug-in electric vehicles and 153 charging stations.

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