Agenda - Planning Commission - 09/16/2010 - Special Meeting

Home

CHARGING STATIONS AND TOURISM During the summer, many people make vacation trips and weekend getaways from Washing- ton, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia to Ocean City, Maryland. The nearly i50-mile trip from Washington, D.C., would require at least one stop along the way for an all -electric vehicle with a ioo-mile range. More stops would be necessary for hybrid vehicles trying to maximize battery powered travel. As you can see from the map, U.S. 5o and U.S. t3 are the main routes to Ocean City. These thoroughfares are littered with gas stations, outlet stores, fast food restaurants, and other busi- nesses you would expect to see in highway commercial areas. While the map includes several communities along these routes, not shown are the 5o or more other municipalities with their own unique features and historic main streets. Taking a comprehensive look at where to locate stations and the type of stations to in- stall could provide additional benefits to a community. For instance, it is likely a community or consumer will not want to wait longer than io minutes to charge their car at a fast food restaurant or at a gas station. In this situation, the locality should require the highest volt- age technology available for charging stations (Levet III) to prevent congestion and loitering . where parking is limited. However, strategically placing Level I or Level II stations in a main street community could draw people in to find something to do while their car is powering up. These leisurely stops often occur anyway, but an EV driver may stop in a specific community if they can both charge their vehicle and take in the small-town charm. More importantly for the planner, once ideal locations and charging station types are determined, the zoning districts in which they lie can be found by overlaying the proposed location on the zoning map. This can help determine the sections of the local zoning and development codes that need to be revised to incorporate the focal EV strategy. to fully charge an electric/gas hybrid vehicle or neighborhood electric vehicle. With a few sales to the general public and increased use by city workers, the four units could become quickly exhausted. The city may have to con- sider adding additional charging stations,. which could have adverse impacts on parking as discussed earlier. Another option would be to replace existing units with Level II sta- tions, or Level III stations when available. Adding stations, juggling parking is- sues, and upgrading existing units may alt be costly options. This is why it is important for communities to study the expected im- pact of EV safes locally and to learn about existing technologies for charging stations and their effects on parking facilities in or- der to develop a comprehensive strategy in advance of purchasing and installing units. Concerning focal initiatives for instal- lation by developers, Vancouver is the first (and only known municipality) in the world to require the installation of charging sta- tions at new developments. In Vancouver, all new condo developments must dedicate zo percent of parking spaces to EV charging (http://va n couver.ca/susta i nabi l ity/electric_ vehictes.htm). AU new one- and two-family dwellings are also required to install charg- ing stations for each unit as part of the city's Green Homes Program (http://vancouver. ca/commsvcs/CBOFFICIAL/greenbuitd ings/ greenhomes/electricvehicte.htm). Although there was some pushbackfrom the develop- ment community, Vancouver studies indicate that there is only a o.5 percent increased cost to the developer to install a charging station. The added cost for developers brings up the dilemma seen in many planning is- sues: Should charging stations be mandated or should incentives be provided to promote installation? While the question of whether developers can be mandated to install charging stations in new developments has not yet been tested in U.S. courts, there is enough precedent with similar mandates to say that governments are likely able to legally require installation. Whether a community will exercise its power to mandate charging stations is a different issue. The community will have to consider how the added cost (though argu- ably minimal) wilt affect the consumer it will be likely passed on to. Option two is to provide incentives to a developer to install charging stations for public use. We found no instances of local initiatives to promote installation of charging stations by development's while researching this article. However, a variety of incentives has been used to promote voluntary set -aside of affordable housing units in new develop- ments. Tax abatement, reductions in parking, density bonuses, and other creative incentives are all possibilities for communities unwilling to mandate installation of charging stations. Nationally, there are two major incen- tives available to promote adding charging stations in new developments. UDR, Inc., has installed charging stations at two Texas multifamily developments and is request- ing that the U.S. Green Building Council recognize these features as part of the LEED certification scoring. If recognized, adding charging stations can help developers easily add points to achieve LEED certification. An additional incentive for develop- ers is cost savings over time. This can be achieved in areas with Smart Grid electrical technology. Using solar technology, with or without Smart Grid infrastructure, can also help developers recoup the costs of adding enhanced charging stations. While a complete discussion of a Smart Grid is beyond the scope of this article, there are two important aspects of this technology that could provide incentives for developers to install charging stations. First, a Smart Grid would allow consumers to choose what time of day they wanted to take power from the grid. Second, it would permit consumers to sell excess electricity generated on -site by solar panels back to the utility provider. The ability to control when charging would take place could lead to stations only being used during off-peak hours when 116 ZONINGPRACTICE 7.2o AMERICAN PLANNING AssOCIATON Ipage 6