Administrative
Report
M.1., File # 23-5971 Meeting Date: 5/2/2023
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: LUKE SMUDE, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON PROGRAMS AND GRANT FUNDING AVAILABLE TO
SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGERS IN COMMERCIAL
CORRIDORS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of the Strategic Plan, the City Council asked staff to report on programs and funding sources to develop additional electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in commercial corridors.
Currently, there are a number of grant opportunities available that would help fund projects to increase the number of EV charging stations in the City. The City has submitted applications to Southern California Edison (SCE) for both fleet and public facing projects, as well as the County of Los Angeles Internal Services Department (ISD) to fund potential EV charging projects. There is great variation in these opportunities and what the City has to bring to the table from both funding and project readiness perspectives. This report provides an opportunity to update the Council on staff’s EV charger expansion efforts to date and allow for feedback on future grant project possibilities.
BACKGROUND
At the May 17, 2022 City Council Meeting, staff presented an overview of SCE’s Charge Ready program as well as upcoming Federal funding opportunities coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
Following the meeting, staff collaborated internally to identify a waterfront location that was near existing SCE infrastructure and also close to an important commercial hub. After weighing several options, staff elected to submit a Charge Ready application to SCE for 12 parking spaces located in the sea-level portion of the Pier Parking Structure near Quality Seafood. SCE reviewed the preliminary application and moved forward to the design phase based on a favorable site assessment that took place on March 28, 2023. In order to satisfy the economics of the project from SCE’s point of view, SCE personnel requested the number of chargers be increased to 20. The final number may decrease, based upon the cost to install the needed infrastructure at the site.
Depending on the hardware selected, available funding is sufficient to purchase approximately 10 chargers. As the project advances, staff will return with purchase contracts and/or additional funding requests based on the final design.
Staff is also working to secure additional fleet charging infrastructure to support Council’s goal of
M.1., File # 23-5971 Meeting Date: 5/2/2023
Staff is also working to secure additional fleet charging infrastructure to support Council’s goal of augmenting the City’s existing fleet with low and zero-emission vehicles. To this end, staff has submitted an additional application for the Charge Ready program, for 20 ports at City Hall, and two Rule 29 projects (one for a 20-port project at 200 N. Pacific Coast Highway and another for a 6-port project at the Police Station). SCE’s Rule 29 program funds eligible electrical service extension work from SCE’s electrical distribution line facilities to the customer installed meter panel, or meter pedestal, on the utility side of the meter.
The first round of funding for the BIL’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program opened on March 14, 2023. The program is designed to fund EV charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure in communities across the country and along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors, interstates, and major roadways. The program is a key step towards the President’s goals of building a national network of 500,000 public EV charging stations and reducing national greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% by 2030. Staff is working to identify possible sites and evaluate how to best approach this promising grant opportunity by participating in workshops and researching program guidelines to best position the City to acquire funding to expand EV charging in the City. Redondo Beach has multiple factors working in its favor for the BIL funding. Pacific Coast Highway is one of California’s first Alternative Fuel Corridors, and portions of North Redondo lie within one-mile of Interstate 405 which is a threshold for identifying priority sites for grant funding.
Staff also submitted a funding request as a sub-recipient of Los Angeles County for the Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovative Partnerships (GRIP) program. This program is aimed at reducing local grid constraints by installing 1,000 EV charging stations utilizing artificial intelligence to help shed peak load on the local electrical grid and help collect data to design demand response programs to promote energy savings. The City submitted a funding request for $240,000 to install 20 chargers at the newly opened Redondo Beach Transit Center. The facility was constructed with conduit in place to power EV charging stations, making the site the most “shovel-ready” project currently available.
There are a number of other sites that staff feels would be well-suited for EV charger deployment, including expanding the number of chargers available in Riviera Village and at the Performing Arts Center, as well as additional sites that include Anderson Park, Artesia Boulevard, Alta Vista Park, Gateway Parkette, surface parking lots in King Harbor, Veteran’s Park, among others. Regardless of the funding source or number of EV chargers deployed, the City will have to work closely with SCE to ensure sufficient electrical infrastructure is available to support future deployments. Staff has been working closely with Christian Torres, the SCE Key Accounts Advisor assigned to Redondo Beach, to identify appropriate sites and engage opportunities beyond the Charge Ready program, including additional projects that fall under SCE’s EV Infrastructure Rule 29.
COORDINATION
The creation of this report was coordinated with the Public Works Department.
FISCAL IMPACT
While there is no clear answer for how much each new EV charger deployment would cost the City due to varying infrastructure needs and site specifications, staff was able to analyze the usage of the 13 chargers currently deployed in the City to provide an idea of the cost recovery potential of future
M.1., File # 23-5971 Meeting Date: 5/2/2023
13 chargers currently deployed in the City to provide an idea of the cost recovery potential of future installations.
Since July 2022, the estimated monthly cost for electricity used at all charging stations has averaged just over $2,000, while the revenue collected from the stations has averaged nearly $3,500 per month from July 2022 through February of 2023. There are also monthly fees for wireless connectivity, back-end management, and charge-port maintenance costs that offset the collected revenue based on the ownership model selected for each site. This preliminary analysis indicates the City can expect significant cost recovery for future EV charging installations.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
· Admin Report - May 17, 2022
· Map - Alternative Fuel Corridor and Highway Proximity · Map - City-Owned Parking Lots and EV Charger Locations