Los Angeles Mayor Announces Southern California Regional Plug-in Electric Vehicle Plan
02 December 2009
Loas Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the Southern California Regional Plug-In Electric Vehicle (PEV) Plan, a collaboration between cities, utilities, automakers and others in the Southern California region who will work actively to support the region and build the necessary infrastructure for the commercial launch of electric vehicles, which is scheduled for Fall 2010.
The regional collaborative group currently includes: Southern California Edison, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Southern California Public Power Authority, California Electric Transportation Coalition, Electric Research Power Institute, Southern California AQMD, Nissan, GM, Ford, and the cities of Burbank, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Ana, and Santa Monica.
The State of California has the highest ratio of car ownership anywhere in the world, and in Los Angeles, almost 50% of the greenhouse gas emissions come for the transportation sector. If we are to be at the forefront of tackling climate change, reducing emissions from the automobile must be front and center.
With today’s announcement, we are transforming the LA region into the capital of the electric car and we will prime our region to be plug-in ready by the fall of 2010.
The collaborative Electric Vehicle Plug-In Readiness Plan has the following eight objectives:
Collaborate to help educate customers and stakeholders highlighting the environmental benefits of electric transportation; the benefits of electricity as an alternative fuel; the creation of public-access charging infrastructure; and the steps customers need to take to get plug-in ready.
Collaborate and share information to prepare the LA Region for adoption of PEVs as a major market for the automotive industry; apply for or administer grant funding for the Region, and implement best practices to support the deployment and use of PEVs.
Collaborate on charging infrastructure deployment including: working with funding agencies to upgrade the existing charging infrastructure, adding new infrastructure locations, and identifying charging solutions for multi-unit dwelling and workplace charging situations.
Cities will work with stakeholders to develop and/or support purchase and ownership incentives (monetary/non-monetary) for both vehicles and infrastructure, including tax rebates for vehicles and charging installations, preferential and/or free parking at city meters, key parking locations, and community venues.
Cities will work to streamline the process for installation of new charging infrastructure including local city permitting and inspections.
Cities will review and revise where appropriate, local city building codes, standards, ordinances, etc. to help encourage adoption of PEVs.
Utilities will develop a robust and streamlined customer service process that can scale up to support large numbers of plug-in vehicle customer service requests ranging from charging infrastructure installations to utility-specific rate options and programs.
Cities and Utilities will collaborate on fleet acquisition plans, helping drive deployment of electric transportation solutions in light, medium and heavy-duty applications in accordance with operational and emergency response needs.
Along with the plug-in ready plan, the Mayor announced a number of incentives that would be offered, including:
Home Charger Early Adapter Incentive Program to subsidize the installation up to $2,000 for the first 5,000 residential customers.
Off-peak electrical charging rate of 8.5 cents per kWh (6pm to 2am).
City and State incentives including, but not limited to, preferred and/or free parking, high occupancy lanes.
Upgrading the 400 existing public charging sites within one year of the adoption of a new federally-approved charging standard.
Implementing a streamlined process for the installation of home charging units in the City of Los Angeles.
This is not too bad.
The industry is free to produce the EVs that will sell in the near future.
The infrastructure is being "biased", to encourage what CA thinks is the best long term path, by building some of that path.
I am encouraged and trying to be positive here, but I am more than a little worried – this is California after all.
I am still aghast that PSE DOE is buying 1000 Nissan Leafs and the DOE is buying 1,000 more.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 02 December 2009 at 09:28 AM
Typo.
Actually I am still outraged that PSE DOE is buying 1000 Nissan Leafs and the DOE is buying 4,700 more.
For a total of 5,700 and counting.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 02 December 2009 at 09:59 AM
EVs face a similar problem to early gasoline powered cars. If you have few fueling stations, it limits the range and utility of the car. Since we know gasoline cars can be refueled in minutes and EVs take hours, it is somewhat different.
The EV for L.A. was a good idea in 1990 and it is a great idea today. If they put enough of these in parking spaces for offices, the range now doubles. A forty mile range becomes enough to get to work and back and everyone knows L.A. could use cleaner air.
Posted by: SJC | 02 December 2009 at 11:03 AM
It is a reasonable approach. In LA a 40 AER is not enough for most drivers. Distances are far greater than on average - I used to drive 30 mi each way to a job in Torrance. That would require some E85 or gas in the only affordable EV capable of the commute - Volt. If the charge sustain mode is anywhere around 50MPG - it is still a deal. If I could charge at work, no need to use liquid fuel at all. Even the 8 hour trickle charge at 110V is plenty to return home with.
The idea of stopping to charge at an "energy station" is not appealing unless it is a less than ten minute affair. NOt ready for prime time yet.
Posted by: sulleny | 02 December 2009 at 01:10 PM
With the incremental battery pack idea, people could buy an EV or PHEV and put whatever battery capacity that they need in the car. It is not a one size fits all proposition where you buy a PHEV like the Volt with 16 kWh pack with no other configurations. Then the car costs 40 thousand dollars and few purchase them. If we want to make progress, we need something viable and affordable to suit the needs of the individual while providing benefits to us all.
Posted by: SJC | 03 December 2009 at 12:45 PM
SJC:
I fully agree with you. Still wonder why nobody is offering modular plug-in battery packs. It is not an impossible task. Each module could have enough energy for 5 to 10 miles. Most PHEV new buyers could start with a single $1000 to $2000 module and add more latter, as price and performance are more favourable.
Why load a PHEV with 500 lbs of batteries when a 100-lb module could satisfy many? Knowing that extra modules could be added latter at any time, many would prefer to start with the minimum to lower initial cost. A world wide secondary module market would quickly develop creating the needed competition to lower price and improve performance.
Posted by: HarveyD | 05 December 2009 at 08:25 AM
We may yet find our way, there are lots of good ideas that have drawbacks and we are zeroing in on a more optimal solution. Many of us wish that it would not take so long, but that is the nature of the situation. We have 100 years of oil investment and it will not transform in the next 10 without real committed effort. I see that coming, but the status quo folks will slow it and block it at every turn and then claim that they were all for it all along.
Posted by: SJC | 13 December 2009 at 02:46 PM