HomeMy WebLinkAbout23 - Electric Vehicle Program Progress ReportCity Council Agenda
Item No. 23
December 14, 1998
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: General Services Director
SUBJECT: Electric Vehicle Program Progress Report
Recommendation
Approve the attached report summarizing the progress of the City's electric vehicle program for
submittal to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Background
hi March 1998, the City submitted an application to the South Coast Air Quality Management
District's Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC) to participate in
the Committee's AB2766 Subvention Fund Match Program. In April 1998, the City's application
was approved and the City entered into an agreement with the MSRC to obtain $91,514 in
matching funds to implement the City's Electric Vehicle Program. The matching funds are to be
paid to the City on a reimbursement basis upon completion of the work tasks proposed in the
City's March 1998 application.
Per the City's agreement with MSRC, the matching funds are to be used to pay a portion of the
costs associated with the three -year lease of twelve Honda EV Plus vehicles and five Toyota
RAV's, a portion of the cost to purchase and install seventeen charging stations, and staff costs
in preparing the grant request and managing the program. The matching funds are intended to
pay 20% of the total project cost of $457,572 which was estimated at the time of the City's
application to the MSRC. The balance of the project will be funded with AB2766 Subvention
Funds in the City's account.
Discussion
The program's actual costs to date are significantly less than originally anticipated. Staff has
reviewed actual project costs and now estimates an $80,000 savings over the original cost
estimate. The savings will be achieved in expenditures for the purchase and installation of the
seventeen charging stations. Staff expects that its reimbursement from the MSRC will decrease
to reflect 20% of the actual project cost.
Consistent with the City's agreement terms with the MSRC, the City has prepared the attached
progress report for submittal in December 1998. The progress report does not request a
reimbursement of funds at this time. The MSRC will release funds upon project completion and
upon approval of a Final Report, which is due to the MSRC in June 1999.
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Very respectfully,
David E. Niederhaus
DEN /me
Attachments:
(A) AB2766 / MSRC Local Government Subvention Fund Match Program
Progress Report (Contract No. A132766/062).
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City of Newport Reach
AB2766IMSRC Local Government Subvention Fund Match Program
Progress Reportto the South Coast Air Quality Management District
December 1, 1998
City of Newport Beach Interim Report
AB2766IMSRC Local Government Subvention Fund Match Program
Contract No. AB27661062
A. Description of Tasks Completed
• TASK #1 : Vehicle Procurement
Per the City's grant application, the City has entered into lease agreements with Toyota
Motor Company and American Honda Motor Company to lease a total of 17 electric
vehicles. As of October 30, 1998, the City has taken possession of all seventeen
vehicles, which includes five (5) 1998 Toyota RAV 4 -EV's and twelve (12) 1998 Honda
EV Plus'.
On September 25, 1998, the City made payment to American Honda for the full three
year lease term amount for all twelve vehicles totaling $209.064. The City has also paid
the full three year lease term amount for all five Toyota RAV's totaling $88,299.
TASK #2: Chargine Station Installation
The City entered into a contract with Edison EV to install charging stations for each
electric vehicle. The seventeen stations were constructed at the following four City
facilities.
1. City Corporation Yard
2. City Hall .
3. Utilities Yard
4. Marine Headquarters
All seventeen stations have been installed; however, the City is currently working with
the contractor to relocate the charger at the Utilities Yard which shares a meter with the
office facility at the site. The relocation will ensure that the charger is separately
metered for more accurate accounting of program costs as well as a reduced rate.
To date, the City has made payment to Edison EV for the completed chargers and the
installation of the chargers totaling $57,657.47.
In addition, the City electrical inspector's requirement to install stainless steel cabinets
versus galvanized steel cabinets that are normally used resulted in an additional cost of
$15,949. This invoice will remain outstanding until the final charger modifications are
completed.
TASK #3: Vehicle Delivery. Testing, and Operation
Upon the receipt of each vehicle, staff test drove each vehicle to ensure safe
performance of the vehicles. During the test runs, staff was made aware that some of the
Hondas were arriving with depleted lead acid batteries that prevented full operation of
the vehicles. These vehicles were then scheduled for maintenance services with the
approved service provider to have the batteries recharged prior to placing the vehicle in
operation.
After the vehicles were tested, each was labeled with the City logo and the assigned unit
number. Vehicles were then delivered to the assigned City department. The seventeen
vehicles were distributed to the five City departments as described below:
December 1, 1998
City of Newport Beach Interim Report
AB2766IMSRC Local Government Subvention Fund Match Program
Contract No. AB27661062
Department
Vehicles Assigned
Vehicles in Operation
Building Inspectors
(5) Honda EV
5
Administrative Services
(1) Toyota RAV
1
Administrative Services/MIS
(2) Honda EV
2
Fire and Marine
(2) Honda EV: Fire
2
(1) Honda EV: Marine
1
General Svcs /Admin.
(2) Toyota RAV
2
General Svcs./Equipt. Maint.
(2) Honda EV
2
Public Works/Admin.
(1) Toyota RAV
1
Public Works/Utilities
(1) Toyota RAV
1
TOTAL
17 Vehicles
17 Vehicles
EV DRIVERS
Senior Building Inspectors, and Building Inspectors II
Business License Inspector
Mail Room Coordinator
MIS Operations Coordinator
MIS Computer Systems Technicians and Support Specialists
General Services Director, Deputy Director, and Supervisory Staff
Equipment Maintenance Loan Vehicle Drivers
Fire & Marine Support Services, Facilities & Supply Coordinator
Fire & Marine Support Services, Support Services Captain
Marine Environmental Management, Parking Lot Supervisor
Public Works Administrative Staff
Utilities Division Administrative Staff
TASK # 4: Staff Training
A total of fifty -eight employees have attended one of the City's six training sessions that
were conducted between June and September of this year. At the training sessions,
students received informational brochures provided by Honda and Toyota. In addition
representatives from Honda and Toyota were on hand to review the vehicles' features and
safety issues. Sessions also included some video instruction that showed students how to
read their odometers and fuel gauges.
At the end of each session, students were taken out to nearby EV charging stations to
receive charging instructions for each type of vehicle. Next, the students were given an
opportunity to test drive each vehicle. All but one of the training sessions were
conducted at the City Corporation Yard, and the other was conducted at City Hall. Staff
may plan to schedule additional training at a later date if necessary.
• TASK #5: Interim Report Preparation & Submittal
Staff spent approximately two days gathering and evaluating data, reviewing the project
status and preparing this interim report for submittal to the AQMD.
December 1, 1998 2
City of Newport Beach Interim Report
A112766IMSRC Local Government Subvention Fund Match Program
Contract No. AB27661062
• TASK #6: Project Management / Administration.
City staff has managed all aspects of the project. Project management has included
maintaining communications with Honda and Toyota representatives to ensure timely
delivery of vehicles, and coordinating charger installations with the Building
Department and affected City departments. Staff also coordinated the installation of
time -of -use meters at each charging site with Southern California Edison.
To more efficiently manage the program, staff designated coordinators in each
department that received an electric vehicle. The EV Coordinators are staff's main
contact for distributing information to all electric vehicle drivers.
Staff also set up a method to collect weekly data from the drivers. Each Monday
morning, drivers report their odometer readings to the General Services Department.
Staff then records the data and tracks associated electrical costs with a spreadsheet. An
Electric Vehicle City Policy has also been developed ( "Electric Vehicle Standard
Operating Procedures ") to address vehicle maintenance requirements, authorized uses
for the vehicles, what to do in case of an emergency, and use of designated charging
stations.
B. Issues Identified & Resolutions Implemented
Below are vehicle maintenance and administrative issues that have been addressed during
the first six months of the program.
a. Staff has had to remind drivers of vehicle use policies. Some drivers have forgotten that
they have been instructed to charge their vehicles only at the station designated for their
specific vehicle. Each vehicle has its own charging station to ensure that kilowatt
consumption data is accurately recorded for each vehicle. To resolve this issue, staff has
conveyed to all EV drivers through the EV coordinators to re- educate drivers and
emphasize key vehicle policies.
b. Extended storage of the Honda vehicles at Honda storage facilities resulted in several
lead -acid batteries not being able to hold a charge if the vehicle remains stationary for
more than five to seven days. City has addressed this issue by informing Honda drivers
to utilize their vehicles at least once to twice weekly.
c. The charging station subcontractor installed chargers at sites that did not have dedicated
Edison meters. Such an arrangement prevents the use of a "time of use" meter that would
allow lower electrical rates. To resolve this issue, one charging station is being relocated,
and two other stations will have kilowatts recorded weekly by City staff to track electrical
costs for those vehicles. In another instance at the Marine Facility, the City is ineligible
to pay discounted EV electrical rates because the charging station shares an Edison meter
with an office facility. Staff has looked into installing a separate meter at this location,
but has determined that it would be more cost - effective to make no change at this
charging station due to the building configuration.
December 1, 1998
I_ _
3
City of Newport Beach Interim Report
AB2766IMSRCLocal Government Subvention Fund Match Program
Contract No. AB27661062
d. The City's accounting office needed to be informed of meter locations or accounts for
each charging station to ensure Edison invoices are forwarded to General Services in a
timely manner for cost analysis.
e. To ensure discounted EV rates are charged to each charging station, staff had to reset
station clocks to account for changes in daylight savings time. Staff later realized that the
clocks in the Toyotas also had to be reset in order for off -peak charging to correctly take
place.
f. The program has experienced a few occasions where City employees experimented with
controls or attempted to make repairs to electronic equipment on the vehicle that should
only have been done by the authorized lease service representative. Although no damage
was done to any EV, staff has re- educated drivers through the EV Coordinators. Drivers
were reminded to contact program staff or the City's Equipment Maintenance Division
when they have questions regarding the vehicles operating features or when they
experience any vehicle malfunctions.
C. Program Results
With the exception of the problem with the Honda lead -acid batteries, the vehicles are
operating to everyone's satisfaction. In fact, the majority of EV users are very enthusiastic
about the program. The vehicles average between 12 to 40 miles per vehicle per day, and
achieve between one and two miles per kilowatt. With all use combined, the vehicles have
been driven a total of 21,650 miles at a cost of about $0.02 per mile for fuel costs. Higher
efficiency and lower costs are expected as the EV's acquire additional mileage.
For further information, please contact Miriam Eldridge, Management Analyst for the City of
Newport Beach at (949) 644 -3057.
December 1, 1998 4