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electrical costs are much cheaper. Depend-
<br />ing on the amount of energy created by solar
<br />panels and the amount of energy used by
<br />recharging vehicles, a developer could eas-
<br />ily recoup installation costs, reduce overall
<br />electrical costs paid by the developer in
<br />common areas, and ultimately reduce costs
<br />to consumers. The City of Orlando has in-
<br />stalled a solar powered charging station and
<br />is currently testing this model.
<br />While much of the previous discus-
<br />sion shows how other communities are
<br />working to promote EVs, each community is
<br />different. Though not explicitly discussed,
<br />communities should come up with a plan
<br />that comprehensively looks at how potential
<br />mandates, incentives, technologies, and
<br />locations will best serve the government,
<br />utility providers, and users. The following
<br />section provides a brief discussion on devel-
<br />oping a local EV strategy.
<br />ESTABLISHING A LOCAL EV STRATEGY
<br />Problems stemming from adding charging
<br />stations into a community can be boiled
<br />down to the following major issues: i) the lo-
<br />cation of stations; 2) how fast they will charge
<br />vehicles; and 3) the type of station. Breaking
<br />down each of these items is obviously more
<br />comptex, especially location. In order to keep
<br />costs low, communities should consider
<br />forming a technical committee to deaf with
<br />creating the overall EV strategy.
<br />Creating a committee is recommended
<br />because of the variety of items to consider
<br />within each greater problem area. With loca-
<br />tion, for instance, technicians will need to be
<br />consulted about the actual installation of the
<br />device. Code enforcement officials could help
<br />point out some of the safety hazards that
<br />may arise. An economic development official
<br />could help point out strategic locations to
<br />draw in those who have to wait for recharging
<br />vehicles. Each community will need to exam-
<br />ine the best makeup of the committee based
<br />on their own unique needs.
<br />The goal of the committee should be
<br />to "measure twice and cut once." A good •
<br />strategy can help tower a community's costs
<br />by timiting the upgrade stations. It is inevi-
<br />table that upgrades will be necessary as new
<br />technologies will better fit the needs of the
<br />community. The following section examines
<br />some additional short- and tong -term tech-
<br />nology advances that should be considered
<br />as part of any future strategy.
<br />FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES
<br />Much like cell phones and MP3 players, EVs
<br />and charging stations are going through a
<br />technological evolution to become better for
<br />consumers —smaller, smarter, longer tasting,
<br />and wireless. Research is currently being
<br />performed to create smaller batteries that
<br />charge faster, higher voltage charging sta-
<br />tions, and wireless charging options. Though
<br />nanotechnology concepts are being used to
<br />try to reduce battery size white maintaining
<br />or improving performance, other technologi-
<br />cal advances are on the brink.
<br />Two Massachusetts Institute ofTechnot-
<br />ogy researchers experimented with an iron
<br />phosphate solution to use in battery packs
<br />and were successful in charging batteries at
<br />a higher rate of speed. The solution is ex-
<br />pected to be available in markets in zo1L.
<br />Evatran Corporation has developed Levet
<br />I and Level II wireless charging stations and
<br />are currently marketing these to residences
<br />and to commercial establishments where con-
<br />sumertrips are likely to exceed 45 minutes.
<br />Plugless Power proximity charging systems
<br />allow a user to pull into a charging area and
<br />receive a charge based on inductive power
<br />transfer technology. Evatran is still working
<br />with caretakers at this time to install technol-
<br />ogy to make wireless charging possible.
<br />The Better Space project and SwapPack
<br />are providing an alternative to the park -and -
<br />recharge concept. Each company is proposing
<br />stations where EV users can swap out their
<br />used battery packs for newty charged ones.
<br />Though heavy equipment is needed for the
<br />switch, the entire process is expected to take
<br />less than two minutes. Battery packs have
<br />not been standardized at this time, so logisti-
<br />cally how this would work for different mod-
<br />els is still to be determined. However, the
<br />concept is quick, convenient, and gets rid of
<br />many of the cord -related Liability concerns.
<br />CONCLUSION
<br />The regulation of new technologies can
<br />often overwhelming for communities. The
<br />goal of this article is to help governments
<br />prepare for plug-in vehicles before they
<br />become common. Though specific electrical
<br />specifications may be above and beyond
<br />the technical expertise of planning teams,
<br />the discussion herein is meant to include
<br />everyday concepts of zoning, land use, and
<br />economic development.
<br />The initial consideration for every com-
<br />munity is identifying the best public locations
<br />for charging vehicles. These places already
<br />exist: park -and -ride lots, commercial centers,
<br />main street communities, and the like. Local
<br />governments should determine maximum
<br />charge times before installing Level I, II, or
<br />III charging stations. The recommendations
<br />in this article will help planners determine
<br />where stations will actually be installed.
<br />Regional coordination of station locations
<br />is vital to this process, as MPOs and other
<br />organizations will tikely have the best data
<br />and resources for helping determine how a
<br />local community fits in to the larger needs of
<br />travelers over tong distances. Other informa-
<br />tion, such as renewable stations using solar
<br />technology or the future of wireless stations,
<br />are things to keep in mind.
<br />Finalty, the language and visual aids
<br />within local zoning and design codes need
<br />to be updated. This is much easier to do af-
<br />ter determining the locations of the charging
<br />stations and the zoning districts in which
<br />they lie. For new developments, Vancouver's
<br />mandatory charging station requirements,
<br />King County's upcoming model ordinance,
<br />and other potential problem areas dis-
<br />cussed in this article can help communities
<br />craft the appropriate language to avoid pit-
<br />falls. One interview subject mentioned that
<br />he was trying to team from crises planners
<br />ran into when cell phone towers were being
<br />installed across the country. The process for
<br />Photo courtesy of Portland General
<br />Electric. Design concept by Lisa
<br />Barton.
<br />VOL, 27, NO.7
<br />Zoning Practice is a monthly publication of the
<br />American Planning Association. Subscriptions are
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<br />Zoning Practice (ISSN 1548-0135) is produced
<br />at APA. Jim Schwab, AICP, and David Morley, AICP,
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<br />Barton, Design and Production.
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