SOLAR TODAY - June 2011

view from the states
Electric
Vehicle
Readiness

Compiled by Mike Koshmrl, Associate Editor

There are now seven highway-capa- ble mass-production consumer electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) for sale in the United States, with eight or 10 more scheduled for sale within the next year (for more information, see our high-efficiency cars feature on page 32). Adoption of this first wave of EVs is coming faster in some areas than others, based largely on local acceptance by dealers, drivers — and municipalities.

Accommodating for an EV future goes beyond building a bunch of charging stations (see the article “ EV-Charging Infrastructure,” by Daniel Davids, page 28). Utilities must be prepared for new electric load demands. Local governments will need to adopt permitting processes, develop incentives and establish EV signage and other ways to educate drivers about the availability and proper use of charging stations.

Cities are essential to these developments. In 2010, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants ( rolandberger.com) and the Rocky Mountain Institute ( rmi.org) took a snapshot view of the 50 largest U.S. cities’ EV preparations in their report “Electric Vehicles in America.” RMI also leads Project Get Ready (pro jectgetready.com), which helps cities overcome obstacles to PHEV adoption. Here are updated summaries of 10 cities that are leading the charge toward electric mobility.

*Data from Roland Berger and the U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center * Charging station count as of April.

Seattle

Driven to pursue EVs by its strong Climate Action Plan, Seattle plans to install about 400 public chargers. The Puget Sound region was a target of ChargePoint America (Coloumb Technologies’ program to provide EV-charging infrastructure to nine U.S. regions), and there’s charging infrastructure both from Coulomb Technologies and ECOtality in the area. A local EV coalition received $1.4 million in DOE funding, which will go in part toward the purchase of 15 diesel-electric hybrid trucks.

•;$2,700;state;incentive;for;EV;purchase •;10;charging;stations;within;25;miles •;Initial;target;market;for;Ford,;Renault;Nissan

Portland, Ore.

With a plan to attain 10 percent of vehicle miles traveled by EVs or PHEVs by 2030, Portland has been a proactive and progressive leader in the EV space. Its ECOtality ( ecotality.com) charging infrastructure, streamlined permitting processes and “Charge Portland” public awareness campaign round out Portland’s impressive preparations.

•;$750;state;incentive;for;EV;purchase •;26;charging;stations;within;25;miles •;Initial;target;market;for;Ford,;Renault;Nissan •;Project;Get;Ready;partner;city

Los Angeles

Land at Los Angeles International Airport and you can drive;away;in;a;rented;Nissan;Leaf;or;Chevy;Volt.;It’s;not a huge surprise that Enterprise Rent-A-Car chose the L.A. metro area as a pilot location for its EV rentals. EV infrastructure has been a major priority for one of L.A. metro’s primary utilities, Southern California Edison, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The city is also exploring some innovative incentives, such as free parking for EV drivers.

•;$5,000;state;incentive;for;EV;purchase
•;154;charging;stations;within;25;miles
• Initial target market for Ford, General Motors,
Renault;Nissan

San Francisco

Two;years;ago,;then;mayor;Gavin;Newsom;announced a goal to make his city the nation’s “EV capital.” It’s not too far off the mark — as many as 1,000 of the 4,600;ChargePoint;America;EV-charging;stations;the Department of Energy aims to deploy by the end of 2011 could be in the Bay Area. Meanwhile, City College of;San;Francisco;received;stimulus;funding;to;develop a training program for technicians to convert conventional hybrid vehicles to PHEVs.

•;$5,000;state;incentive;for;EV;purchase
•;50;charging;stations;within;25;miles
•;Initial;target;market;for;Ford,
General Motors,
Renault;Nissan

Denver/Boulder

The;Mile-High;City;wants;7,000;EVs;on;the;road;by;2013. The Colorado Plug-In Vehicle Working Group, which includes;representatives;from;the;National;Renewable Energy Lab, Xcel Energy and Rocky Mountain Institute, will give Denver a good shot to hit its mark. Boulder, 25 miles to the northwest, is also gearing up for EVs — it’s the location of a two-year “smart grid” experiment that uses 18 Toyota Prius PHEVs owned and operated by the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute. The cars will be used for three months at a time by 108 volunteer Boulder households.

•;$6,000;state;incentive;for;EV;purchase •;Eight;charging;stations;within;25;miles;of;Denver •;Initial;target;market;for;Ford •;Project;Get;Ready;partner;city;(Denver)