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FROM: OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
BY: MATTHEW BAUMGARDNER, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS/CITY
ENGINEER
DATE: MAY 13, 2025
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS AT CITY FACILITIES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City Council will receive and file an update on the status and performance of existing electric vehicle charging stations located at various City facilities. A total of 30 Level 2 charging units exist at 16 stations that have been installed since 2016 over two project phases. While these charging stations provide some eV charging capability throughout the City, the relatively slow turnover rate is not ideal for allowing cars to fully charge. Staff is recommending a third phase as part of next year's Capital Improvement Program that would upgrade three stations located at the City Library to dual -port fast charging units.
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council:
Receive and file an informational update on the City's electric vehicle (eV) charging stations at city facilities.
BACKGROUND
The City began installing eV charging stations at City -owned facilities in June 2016 with one pilot project at the West Civic Center parking lot behind the Police Department, which added one (1) dual -port unit (serving two vehicles). By December 2016, an additional four (4) dual - port units were added at City facilities, including an additional unit at the West Civic Center parking lot, the Library, the Downtown Parking Structure, and the Barbara J. Riley Community Center as part of a Phase 1 eV charging station project. In 2019, Phase 2 of the project saw the addition of six (6) dual -port units at the Rio Hondo Golf Course, Furman Park, Discovery Park, Independence Park, Wilderness Park, and Rio San Gabriel Park. A single -port unit was also added at Wilderness Park and Rio San Gabriel Park. As part of the Citywide solar panel project, two (2) dual -port units were added to the Library and one (1) dual -port unit was added to the West Civic Center lot. In total, 14 dual -port units and 2 single -port units provide eV charging opportunities for the Community. Approximately $600,000 has been spent in grant and annual allocated funds from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to install these units, which can charge up to 30 vehicles at one time across all facilities.
UPDATE ON ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS AT CITY FACILITIES MAY 13, 2025
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ANALYSIS
In 2017, the City established a user fee of $0.25 per kWh for use of the charging stations.
This rate was selected to be consistent with those being charged by other municipalities in the region. Currently, approximately $40,000 a year in revenues is being collected at the charging stations. This balances against expenditures of roughly the same amount for electricity costs, maintenance, and fees paid to ChargePoint, the eV station service provider.
Level 2 vs. Fast Charging Production
The City's ChargePoint Level 2 stations can add up to 25 miles of driving capacity per hour to the vehicle's range. This compares to a typical fast charging station, which can add between 180 and 240 miles per hour. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an average eV model has a range of approximately 280 miles. Most eV manufacturers recommend charging up to 80 percent of the vehicle range. Given this, a typical eV model could be charged in less than one hour at a typical fast charging station. A Level 2 charger would take over 9 hours to reach 80 percent of the vehicle range. This results in slower turnover at each station. A typical session at any of the City's stations last 2 hours and 40 minutes. Approximately 67 miles can be added to the range during this time period, which will only charge a typical eV model to one-third of its range.
Fast Charging Opportunity at City Library
Considering the slower turnover rate and the inability to charge eV models to their recommended range levels within one hour, staff is recommending the upgrade of the three (3) dual -port charging stations at the City Library from Level 2 to DCFC (Direct Current Fast Charging) units. These locations are currently some of the most heavily -used in the City. It is a central location that allows both residents and nearby business customers to charge while they are completing tasks at the Civic Center, shopping at nearby stores or restaurants, or attending the Theatre. This location is available 24 hours a day, is well -lit, secured with cameras, and adjacent the Police Department facility. Vandalism has become a concern at the other facilities, as the City has had repair costs of approximately $34,000 in the last three years to replace damaged cords and charging heads. Fast charging stations need to be in high -trafficked, secure locations to limit this kind of damage from vandalism. For this reason, staff has identified the central location of the Library at the Civic Center as an ideal spot to upgrade to fast charging units rather than a more remote spot at one of the other facilities.
The upgraded Library stations would provide three (3) dual -port DCFC units, that could turnover 144 fully charged vehicles per day. The existing thirty (30) Level 2 units across the City's facilities can only turnover 90 fully charged vehicles per day. As a result of this project, the DCFC units at the Library would be 1.6 times more efficient than all of the existing facilities combined. Signage for the new DCFC units will be added that limits charge times to 90 minutes.
Staff has researched the costs associated with upgrading the Library stations with DCFC units and estimates project costs of approximately $1,100,000. The City has accumulated
UPDATE ON ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS AT CITY FACILITIES MAY 13, 2025
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approximately $549,000 over the last four years in SCAQMD annual allocated funds. In addition to this, staff has secured $410,000 over the last year in grant funding from the U.S.
Department of Energy, as well as the Clean Power Alliance. Staff has also applied for $500,000 in a competitive grant with the California Energy Commission under the Fast Chargers for All program. Most of the funding is currently secured for the project and staff will be recommending a Phase 3 eV charging project as part of the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 CIP budget. Once this project is established through the budget, staff will procure engineering services to design the Library station upgrades. Additional funds totaling approximately $140,000 will be needed for the construction phase. Staff is currently exploring other grant opportunities, such as the Fast Chargers for All program with the California Energy Commission. An estimated time frame would be 12 to 18 months to design, procure, and install equipment, and work with SCE on permitting and initializing the units.
Staff will continue to evaluate other opportunities to add DCFC units or upgrade existing Level 2 units to DCFC units at City -owned facilities in order to meet the State of California Advanced Clean Cars 11 regulation, which states that all new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs be zero - emission only. There are currently 62 fast charging units located on commercial properties throughout the City that help to meet the 2035 regulation. These locations include:
EVgo stations: 9501 Lakewood Boulevard, 10307 Lakewood Boulevard, 306 Stonewood Street, 8830 Apollo Way
Electrify America stations: 9001 Apollo Way
ChargePoint stations: 12555 Paramount Boulevard, 7550 Firestone Boulevard Tesla Supercharger stations (Tesla vehicles only): 251 Stonewood Street, 9500 Lakewood Boulevard
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
Quality of Life, Safety & Infrastructure
Efficiency & Adaptability
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to receive and file this update. If approved as part of the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Capital Improvement Program, the Phase 3 eV charging station project at the City Library will be funded through various grant awards.
ATTACHMENTS
None.