City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: August 27, 2024
Agenda Item: 5.F
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Director of Transportation, Department of Transportation, Transit Maintenance
Subject: Approve Purchase Order with ChargePoint, Inc. for Battery Electric Bus Charger Warranty
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of Categorical Exemption (Class 1 Existing Facilities) pursuant to Section 15301 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines and a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines;
2. Authorize the Procurement Manager to issue a purchase order with ChargePoint, Inc. for the purchase of extended warranties for the Department of Transportation. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Section 2.24.250(b) and is for a total amount not to exceed $300,300, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
Big Blue Bus, a division of the Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT), operates 194 transit buses, 19 of which are zero-emission battery electric buses. DOT’s fleet of electric buses operates throughout its service area, and the buses must be charged each night to ensure that they have sufficient battery capacity to meet DOT’s service needs. To support its electric bus fleet, BBB has 20 electric bus charging stations. These stations contain high-voltage electrical components that require periodic replacement to ensure that the charging stations continue to operate at full capacity.
The charging station manufacturer, ChargePoint, Inc., offers a 5-year extended warranty for these chargers that covers the cost of all materials and labor needed to 2 of 4
make repairs and includes a 24-hour response time guarantee. Due to the critical nature of DOT’s electric bus charging infrastructure, staff recommends that the City issue a purchase order with ChargePoint, Inc. to provide a 5-year extended warranty for each of its 20 CPE-250 charging stations in an amount not to exceed $300,300.
Discussion
The City’s fleet of battery electric transit buses (BEBs) can be assigned to all routes through the Big Blue Bus system on a daily basis. Each night, DOT maintenance staff clean and charge buses to ensure that they are ready for service the next day. BEBs require four to eight hours of charging time overnight in addition to the time spent being cleaned and serviced by DOT maintenance staff. The charging stations at BBB’s bus yard are critical to ensuring that BEBs can be brought to a full state of charge on time.
Any interruption in their operation may result in a BEB failing to achieve a sufficient state of charge for morning service needs. The CPE-250 chargers used by DOT include multiple costly items that must periodically be replaced including power modules, coolant pumps, and charge control equipment.
The ChargePoint Assure warranty covers all materials and labor needed to replace any components that have failed. Additionally, the warranty includes access to a cloudbased charger management software and remote monitoring by ChargePoint, Inc. staff.
Any faults reported by the chargers are sent to ChargePoint, Inc. staff, who schedule a field service representative to troubleshoot the fault. This proactive monitoring ensures that any faults are addressed quickly with minimal station downtime. The warranty also includes a guaranteed response time to any issues raised by DOT staff of 24 hours or less. Staff recommends that a purchase order be issued to ChargePoint, Inc. for the purchase of a 5-year extended warranty for its electric bus charging station.
Vendor Selection
Exception to Competitive Bidding
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Staff recommends ChargePoint, Inc. to provide 5-year ChargePoint Assure warranty for DOT's twenty (20) CPE-250 charging stations as an exception to competitive bidding per Muni Code 2.24.250 (b). As the manufacturer of the CPE-250 chargers, ChargePoint, Inc. is the only entity able to offer a warranty on their products. Additionally, the ChargePoint Assure warranty includes active monitoring of DOT charging stations by ChargePoint, Inc., and a 24-hour response guarantee for any issues causing chargers to become inoperable, ensuring minimal service disruptions due to charger outages. ChargePoint, Inc. would provide all materials and labor needed to make repairs, thereby reducing the City's maintenance costs.
Environmental Review
The purchase order for extended warranty on DOT’s electric bus charging stations is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 15301 exempts Class 1 (Existing Facilities) projects from CEQA, which includes the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The purchase charging station warranties would not result in any modifications to existing maintenance facilities and would not expand or materially change existing maintenance operations or increase the fleet of vehicles or equipment using these parts. Therefore, the purchase order for extended warranty is categorically exempt as set forth in Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines. Additionally, the purchase order is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The purchase order will provide for an extended warranty on bus charging stations that would not have a physical effect on the environment. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that actions would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, are exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Big Blue Bus Fund to award a purchase order with ChargePoint, Inc. for the purchase of a five-year extended ChargePoint Assure warranty for its 20 electric bus charging stations. 4 of 4
Prepared By: David Nanjo, Administrative Analyst
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Renewal Quote for City of Santa Monica Department of Transportation - 5-Years B. Levine Act Disclosure Form_Chargepoint_032724
C. OAKS INITIATIVE FORM.fillable_Chargepoint_032924
Purchase Order Request
FY 2024-25 CIP Account # Total Purchase Order
Request Amount Amount
$300,300 C6007240.689000 $300,300