Proposal to Implement Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in the Niles District of Fremont, California

Transcription

1 A Fictional Proposal. Names of people and survey results are made up for the purpose of a school assignment. 12/2/16 Proposal to Implement Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in the Niles District of Fremont, California By Raymond E. Kingsley Sustainability Consultants, Inc. Fremont, CA Submitted To The Honorable Robert A. Watters Mayor, Fremont CA December 1, 2016

2 Ray Kingsley Page 2 of 14 Table of Contents Purpose:... 3 Benefits of Plug-In Electric Vehicles:... 3 Plug-in Electric Vehicle Ownership in Fremont:... 4 The Niles District of Fremont... 5 Problem Number One: Fremont does not have enough public charging stations... 6 Problem Number Two: Niles has no public charging stations Problem Number Three: Niles Merchants cannot take steps to address the charging station issue on their own Proposed Solution:... 8 Project Specifications... 8 Project Costs:... 9 Project Schedule:... 9 Benefits of Implementing this Project: Risks of Not Implementing this Project: Works Cited Appendix A: Interview with Fremont City Employee Appendix B: Charging Station Survey... 13

3 Ray Kingsley Page 3 of 14 Purpose: This proposal reports on the advantages of PEV s (Plug-In Electrical Vehicles), the current trends in their adoption in the City of Fremont, and the state of the charging station network that supports PEV ownership. It then defines three problems that exist with the current charging station network, and proposes a solution that addresses all three problems by installing charging stations in the Niles District. Benefits of Plug-In Electric Vehicles: Plug-In Electric vehicles provide several advantages over gasoline powered cars. According to the US Department of Energy, these advantages include: Energy efficient. Electric vehicles convert about 59% 62% of the electrical energy from the grid to power at the wheels conventional gasoline vehicles only convert about 17% 21% of the energy stored in gasoline to power at the wheels. * Environmentally friendly. EVs emit no tailpipe pollutants, although the power plant producing the electricity may emit them. Electricity from nuclear-, hydro-, solar-, or wind-powered plants causes no air pollutants. Performance benefits. Electric motors provide quiet, smooth operation and stronger acceleration and require less maintenance than ICEs. Reduce energy dependence. Electricity is a domestic energy source. Figure 1: City of Fremont Clean and Electric Vehicles (n.d.)

4 Ray Kingsley Page 4 of 14 Plug-in Electric Vehicle Ownership in Fremont: Electric vehicles are very popular in Fremont. According to published statistics, (City of Fremont, Clean & Electric Vehicles ) the city has over 4200 such vehicles. This number shows that Fremont has 32% of the PEV s owned in Alameda County, yet only has 14% of the population, See Figures 2-4 below, City of Fremont, Clean and Electric Vehicles, (n.d.) Figure 2, City of Fremont Figures 3-4, Data from City of Fremont, Clean and Electric Vehicles. Charts by author. Figure 3, Distribution of PEV s in Alameda County Figure 4, Distribution of Population in Alameda County 32% 14% 68% 86%

5 Ray Kingsley Page 5 of 14 The Niles District of Fremont A look at the web site for the Niles Main Street association, Niles Main Street Association, reveals that the town of Niles, California has an interesting and significant history. In the 19 th and early 20 th centuries, Niles was a major Railroad hub for the Bay Area, and the home of the Essanay Film studio where many Charlie Chaplin and Broncho Billy movies were made during the silent film era. Now the Niles District of Fremont, the town remains a vibrant center of commerce and cultural attractions. People drive in from all over the Bay Area and beyond to visit Niles famous antique shops. Others take in the cultural attractions including the Silent Film Museum, located in the original Essanay Films building or the Historic Niles Railroad which features holiday train trips into beautiful Niles Canyon. The Niles Town Plaza hosts many events throughout the year including the Niles Car Show, Niles Antique Fair, and the Holiday Festival of Lights. Niles is the type of vibrant neighborhood that makes Fremont the unique city that it is. It is important that we ensure the continued vibrancy and prosperity of this treasured neighborhood. Figure 5, Niles circa 1913, Niles Main Street Association Figure 6, Niles Film Museum, Niles Film Museum, Figure 7, Present Day Niles City of Fremont, Niles Town Plaza,

6 Ray Kingsley Page 6 of 14 Problem Number One: Fremont does not have enough public charging stations to ensure continued growth in PEV adoption. As previously noted, Alameda County and the City of Fremont have experienced dynamic growth in Plug-In Electric Vehicle ownership and now have more PEV s registered than any county in the State of California, (City of Fremont, Clean & Electric Vehicles ). The city has a network of 32 charging stations both on public property and in private parking lots. Unfortunately the growth in public charging stations is not keeping up with the growth in PEV adoption. Experts are concerned that the lagging expansion in the public charging network is threatening to slow the growth in PEV adoption. In a recent interview, Jennifer Chen, Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Fremont stated, A robust PEV charging network is vital to the growth of PEV adoption. We have a good start on that, but we need to expand the network to include all of our neighborhoods in order to make PEV s attractive to more people and ensure continuing growth in their adoption. Niles District Figure 8, Google Maps, Map of Fremont showing public PEV Charging Station locations Downtown South Fremont

7 Ray Kingsley Page 7 of 14 Problem Number Two: Niles has no public charging stations. See Figure 8, above. According to a recent survey, this lack of public charging stations places the Niles District at risk for losing business as the growing number of PEV owners in the region bypass Niles in favor of places that do offer them. According to the survey, 86 % of the respondents who own, plan to own, or would like to own PEV s, stated that public charging stations would make them more likely to visit Niles. A corresponding number responded that the lack of charging stations would make them less likely to visit Niles. Detailed survey results are located in Appendix B of this document. In light of this information, it is obvious that public PEV charging stations will have a positive effect on the Niles economy in particular and the Fremont economy in general, while failing to provide them will have a negative effect. Problem Number Three: Niles merchants cannot take steps to address the charging station issue on their own. Virtually all of the parking in Niles is on city streets or in the large city-owned parking lots adjacent to the Town Plaza. Since there are no privately-owned parking areas, the local merchants cannot install charging stations on their own and thus the city must initiate this project. City-Owned Parking Figure 9, Google Earth Niles Shopping and Tourist District Niles Shopping District

8 Ray Kingsley Page 8 of 14 Proposed Solution: To promote PEV usage, and to ensure the economic viability of the Niles Neighborhood, it is proposed that the City of Fremont should fund and install 10 PEV charging stations in cityowned parking facility adjacent to the Niles Town Plaza. Figure 10, Google Earth, Niles Town Plaza, 10/20/2013 Project Specifications Charging Stations: The charging stations purchased will be of the DC Fast Charging type, capable of delivering an 80% charge in approximately 30 minutes. The chargers will be compatible with all electric vehicles currently on the road. Aesthetics: All wiring will be underground. Communications will be wireless via cell phone networks. Thus there will be no wiring showing. photo of a typical charging station is below: Figure 11: National Science Foundation, improving electric vehicle (n.d.)

9 Ray Kingsley Page 9 of 14 Project Costs: Data from Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Pulling Back the Veil, This chart uses the median cost taken from a range defined by RMI Item Cost Unit of Measure Quantity Total Charge Station Hardware 11, Each , Electrician Materials Each 10 4, Electrician Labor 2, Each 10 23, Other Materials Each 10 2, Other Labor Each 10 5, Transformer (PG&E) 17, Each , Mobilization Each 10 9, Permitting Each 10 12, Total 346, The total cost for the project will be $346, Project Schedule: We expect Council approval no later than January 2017 at which time the project will kick off and will be completed no later than July 31, See chart below for schedule details

10 Ray Kingsley Page 10 of 14 Benefits of Implementing this Project: According to the National Science Foundation article, Improving Electric vehicle sales may require solving unique chicken and egg problems, building charging stations is important to support PEV growth. Completion of the Niles PEV Charging Station Project will provide proof of concept and encourage implementation of a city-wide network of charging stations. This will facilitate further growth in PEV ownership and ensure the prosperity of the Niles District and other neighborhoods in Fremont. Fossil fuel usage will decrease resulting in a corresponding decrease in global warming. Risks of Not Implementing this Project: Failure to implement the project will signal a lack of support for electric vehicles by the City of Fremont. The risks involved if Fremont does not continue to support PEV s are significant. According to Wikipedia, ( Tesla Motors, 02-Dec-2016.), the electric vehicle industry employees 30,000 people in our city with the potential for considerable future growth. If we are seen by the industry as indifferent or hostile to the adoption of their products, this could put us a competitive disadvantage when these manufacturers start evaluating future manufacturing sites. If we do not present the growing population of PEV owners with a widespread network of charging stations to encourage them to shop, live, and work here, we will lose out on a potentially significant source of economic growth. Greenhouse gases will increase along with global warming. Electric Vehicles are the wave of the future, and building a city-wide network of charging stations will be of great benefit to the City of Fremont. Let s start with Niles! I look forward to Council approval and to celebrating at the ribbon cutting ceremony in early August. End of Proposal

11 Ray Kingsley Page 11 of 14 Works Cited City of Fremont, Clean and Electric Vehicles (n.d.) Downloaded 14 November 2016 City of Fremont, Niles Town Plaza, (n.d.) Downloaded 15 November 2016 Google Earth, Niles Town Plaza CA (n.d.) Downloaded 15 November 2016 Google Maps, Map of Fremont showing PEV Charging Locations (n.d) US706&oq=ev+charging+stations+fremont+ca&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.9455j0j4&sourceid=chro me&ie=utf-8#q=ev+charging+stations+fremont+ca&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag= , ,3062&tbm=lcl&tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:2,lf_pqs:EAE Downloaded 18 November 2016 National Science Foundation, improving electric vehicle sales may require solving unique chicken and egg problem. (n.d.) Downloaded 15 November 2016 Niles Film Museum, Niles Film Museum, (n.d.) Downloaded 14 November 2016 Niles Main Street Association, Niles Main Street, (n.d.) Downloaded 15 November 2016 Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Pulling Back the Veil on EV Charging Station Costs, (24- Apr-2014) Downloaded 15 November 2016 US Department of Energy, All Electric Vehicles (n.d.) Downloaded 12 November 2016 Wikipedia, Tesla Motors, (02-Dec-2016.) Downloaded 16 November 2016

12 Ray Kingsley Page 12 of 14 Appendix A: Interview with Fremont City Employee 11/14/16 Interviewer: Ray Kingsley Interviewee: Jennifer Chen, Economic Development Coordinator, City of Fremont RK: How important is green technology to the City of Fremont? JC: It is very important. Fremont is home to a lot of green technology companies including large companies like Solara and Tesla as well as smaller parts suppliers that support larger enterprises. RK: How about the electric car industry specifically? JC: Well, we do have the Tesla Motors factory which employs over 14,000 people in the city. So that s pretty important. There are several parts suppliers that feed the Tesla factory as well. In addition, a new Electric car company, Atieva, has leased land for an R & D facility in North Fremont. RK: What is the rate of plug-in electric vehicle adoption in Fremont? JC: It s very strong. Fremont has more PEV s than San Francisco, for instance. Our zip code has the most plug-in electric vehicles of any zip code in the state of California. RK: What does Fremont need to do to support the growth in PEV s in our city? JC: A robust Public PEV charging network is vital to the growth of PEV adoption. A lot of potential electric vehicle owners do not have the ability to install a charger on their home, so they will depend on public stations to fuel their vehicles. Lack of a network will impair the adoption of PEV s and negatively affect neighborhoods that don t have them. We have a good start on that, but we need to expand the network to include all of our neighborhoods in order to PEV s attractive to more people and ensure continuing growth in adoption.

13 Ray Kingsley Page 13 of 14 Appendix B: Charging Station Survey Survey conducted in 2016 by the Niles Merchants Organization Survey Scope: The Merchants Association retained the public relations firm of Smart & Blonde to conduct a survey to document the level of interest in PEV s and public charging stations among people likely to visit Niles. The survey included the San Francisco Bay Area and locations outside the Bay Area but within 100 miles of Fremont. The survey continued until ten thousand responses had been gathered. Survey Questions: 1. Which of the following statements describe your position on plug-in electric vehicles? I currently own a plug-in electric vehicle I plan to purchase a plug-in electric vehicle in the near future I would purchase a plug-in electric vehicle if I had a place to charge it. I have no desire to purchase an electric vehicle Other 2. Where do you live? In Fremont 25 miles or less from Fremont 25 to 50 miles from Fremont More than 50 miles from Fremont 3. Available public charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles in the Niles District: Would make me more likely to visit Niles Would make me less likely to visit Niles Would have no bearing on the likelihood of me of visiting Niles 4. The lack of any public charging stations in the Niles District: Makes me more likely to visit Niles Makes me less likely to visit Niles Has no bearing on the likelihood of me of visiting Niles Survey results are on following page.

14 Ray Kingsley Page 14 of 14 Survey Results: Question # 1: Own a Plug-In Electric Vehicle: 12% Plan to purchase a PEV at some point: 26% Would Purchase a PEV if they had a place to charge it: 18% Have no plans to purchase a PEV 44% 100% Question # 2: Live in Fremont 41% Live 25 miles or less from Fremont 25% Live 25 to 50 miles from Fremont 24% Live More than 50 miles from Fremont 10% Question # 3: Public charging stations: Would make me more likely to visit Niles 43% Would make me less likely to visit Niles <1% Would have no bearing on the likelihood of me of visiting Niles 56% Respondents who currently own, plan to own, or would like to own A PEV: Would make me more likely to visit Niles 86% Would make me less likely to visit Niles <0% Would have no bearing on the likelihood of me of visiting Niles 14% Question # 4: The lack of any public charging stations in the Niles District: Makes me more likely to visit Niles <1% Makes me less likely to visit Niles 81% Has no bearing on the likelihood that I will visit Niles 18%