EL5. Ensure access to public electric vehicle charging, Roadmap to Municipal Sustainability

Description

Municipalities should ensure public access to electric vehicle (EV) chargers in order to support residents who have purchased EVs and to encourage other residents to make the transition. Proposed legislation would require that by 2035, all new vehicles sold in New York be zero-emissions. Residents throughout the Capital Region will count on access to public EV charging.

There are two general categories of public EV charging.

The first category is overnight charging for residents who do not have access to a private charger. Charging equipment should be provided along streets with frequent overnight parking, apartment parking lots, and other overnight lots.

The second category is short-term charging. This will reduce EV “range anxiety.” Short-term charging should be available near stores and businesses and other locations that residents visit throughout the day. These sites need to offer fast DC charging, which requires adequate electrical capacity. Some stores in the Capital Region, including most Hannaford Supermarkets, offer fast DC charging.

Municipalities can ensure access to public EV charging by installing chargers at municipally-owned locations and by requiring them at appropriate privately-owned locations through zoning regulations.

Implementation Phases

This action could be fully implemented today.

Challenges

Funding is required for charger installation. In the case of fast DC charging, adequate electrical infrastructure is needed.

In the case of on-street, National Grid will need to be engaged to provide electrical service.

Example Municipalities

Several municipalities have already implemented this action…

Los Angeles, CA has installed EV charging stations on 431 streets ensuring access to the public throughout the city
Palo Alto, CA passed an ordinance requiring all new multi-family complexes, hotels and commercial buildings to install EV charging stations
Austin, TX provides unlimited charging for under $5 a month at over 170 public charging stations to any resident who wishes to be a part of this program

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reductions

Data

Number of multifamily units in Bethlehem, NY: 3701 [Town of Bethlehem Demographic and Growth Analysis 1991-2018]

Average number of miles per car per in NY : 11,871 miles [What is Average Mileage Per Year?, New York state ]

GHG emission reduction when switching from gas car to EV : 50% [Electric Vehicles, Emissions and Fuel Economy]

Assumptions

All multiple family units have 2 vehicles per household.

Methodology

We calculated the:

Average number of vehicles of multifamily houses.
Total CO2e from multifamily house cars.
Reduced emission when all existing multifamily household switch to electric vehicle.

Result

17750 metric tons of CO2e is reduced per year by switching from gas to electric cars by all the existing multifamily houses with access to public electric vehicle charging.

This results in LARGE GHG emissions reductions.