ATTACHMENT B
Action PC-5 – Pursue EV Charging Requirement for Fuel Service Stations By 2024, develop an ordinance requiring new service stations and those service stations proposed for renovation to install a minimum number of EV fast-charging stations as a condition of approval. In developing the ordinance, include consideration of additional opportunities to require and encourage installation of ZEV charging and fueling infrastructure, including permit review and approval, business license application, economic development goals and incentives, and other opportunities within the Oakland Municipal Code. Ensure that any requirements are feasible, reasonably cost-effective, and avoid undue burden on small business owners, including through inclusion of exemptions for certain qualifying conditions as well as through incentives as reasonable.
Going Deeper
As Oakland transitions from fossil-fuel powered vehicles to ZEVs, every opportunity must be taken to increase the number of publicly-available EV charging stations. Gasoline fueling stations, or service stations, offer a strategic opportunity because they are distributed throughout the City, conveniently located, and commonly sited with or near amenities that drivers can use while charging or fueling.
As such, construction of new service stations and expansion/renovation of existing stations are important opportunities to advance the City’s ZEV mobility goals. The proposed Ordinance will require existing service stations seeking qualifying modifications to incorporate fast charging stations where feasible, with reasonable exemptions such as for excessive costs or physical site constraints. Where new service stations are being considered, the proposed ordinance will establish minimum requirements for the inclusion of ZEV charging and fueling infrastructure, recognizing the increasing number of ZEVs on Oakland roads will require diverse, and appropriately co-located, services.
In implementing this Action, staff in the City Administrator’s Office, Planning and Building Department, Economic & Workforce Development Department, and Department of Transportation will collaborate to assess potential approaches, conduct stakeholder outreach, and finalize a draft ordinance. Staff shall endeavor to minimize undue burdens on neighborhoods and small businesses, while crafting the ordinance in a way that is not over-prescriptive and maximizing the likelihood that the new legislation will result in a real and timely increase in EV charging infrastructure.
This Action will expand Oakland’s charging network overall, and ensure that legacy fossil fuel infrastructure contributes to the transition to clean mobility. By providing an opportunity for service stations to be part of the transition, this Action has the potential to minimize negative impacts of vehicle electrification for small business owners in Oakland.