Addressing Challenges to Electric Vehicle Charging in Multifamily Residential Buildings
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Addressing Challenges to Electric Vehicle Charging in Multifamily Residential Buildings June 2011 David Peterson Addressing Challenges to Electric Vehicle Charging in Multifamily Residential Buildings About the Study The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities for charging electric vehicles in multifamily residential buildings. The study draws on case studies from Southern California, and most of the analysis is applied to the City of Los Angeles. The author is a second year UCLA Department of Urban Planning graduate student who completed the project as part of his capstone requirement. About the Author David Peterson is a 2011 graduate of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs master’s degree program in Urban Planning. Acknowledgements I would like to thank J.R. DeShazo (Luskin Center for Innovation), Donald Shoup (Department of Urban Planning), and Juan Matute (Luskin Center for Innovation) for their advice and support. I would also like to thank the following people for sharing their insights about electric vehicles, charging stations, and how to put them together in a multifamily residential building: Maureen Bekins (Southern California Edison), Len Fein (Clipper Creek), Dirk Foster (211 Spalding), Chuck Fredericks (The Azzura), Laura Page (Coulomb), Sarah Potts (Clinton Climate Initiative), Cortney Seeple (Towbes Group), Paul Scott (Plug-In America), Peter Suterko (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power), Lim S. Szeto (Southern California Edison), Russell Vare (Nissan), and Osama Younan (Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety). About the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation The Luskin Center for Innovation, founded with a generous gift from Meyer and Renee Luskin, unites the intellectual capital of UCLA with forward-looking civic leaders to address pressing issues and translate world class research and expertise into real-world policy solutions. Research initiatives are supported by teams of faculty and staff from a variety of academic disciplines. The Luskin Center supports these initiatives by funding original research, scholars, conferences, technical internships and solution-oriented speaker series. For More Information For more information on this study and the UCLA Luskin Center’s Electric Vehicle research programs, contact David Peterson ([email protected] or 650-477-4883) or Juan Matute ([email protected] or 310-267-5435). Electronic copies An electronic copy of the report is available at http://luskin.ucla.edu/ev . Cover photo The front cover photo was provided courtesy of AeroVironment, Inc. (www.avinc.com). Table of Contents Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Level 1 & 2 EV Charging Stations are Preferred for Residential Charging ............................... 4 1.3 Cost is the Primary Barrier ........................................................................................................... 5 1.4 EV Charging Station Cost Drivers ................................................................................................ 6 1.5 Proposed Solutions ...................................................................................................................... 7 2. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 9 3. Electric Vehicle Charging Stations ................................................................................................... 10 3.1 EV Charging Station Typology ................................................................................................... 10 3.2 Charging Stations and Financial Incentives ............................................................................ 13 3.3 Alternatives to Charging Stations ............................................................................................. 14 4. EV Charging Stations and Multifamily Residential Buildings ......................................................... 15 4.1 Infrastructure ............................................................................................................................. 16 4.1.1 Parking ............................................................................................................................... 17 4.1.2 Electrical ............................................................................................................................ 21 4.1.3 Costs .................................................................................................................................. 23 4.2 Existing Buildings: Management, Tenancy Status and Costs ................................................ 30 4.2.1 Management & Tenancy ................................................................................................... 30 4.2.2 Incentives for Existing Buildings ....................................................................................... 31 4.2.3 Case Studies ...................................................................................................................... 32 4.2.3.1 The Azzura ......................................................................................................................... 32 4.2.3.2 211 Spalding ..................................................................................................................... 34 4.2.3.3 The Towbes Group, Inc. .................................................................................................... 36 4.3 New Construction ...................................................................................................................... 37 4.3.1 New Construction Rates ................................................................................................... 37 4.3.2 New Construction Incentives ............................................................................................ 38 4.3.3 Case Study: Ralston Courtyards ....................................................................................... 38 5. Opportunities to Increase EV Charging Station Access .................................................................. 40 5.1 Identifying “Fair” EV Parking Access Solutions ....................................................................... 40 5.2 Utilizing Public Infrastructure ................................................................................................... 40 5.3 Real Estate Transactions as an Opportunity ........................................................................... 42 <Table of Contents 1 6. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 43 7. Appendix ............................................................................................................................................ 45 7.1 City of Los Angeles Green Building Code - EV Sections .......................................................... 45 7.2 Charging Station Cash Flow Models ........................................................................................ 47 8. References ........................................................................................................................................ 51 Figures Figure 1. Monthly Fixed Cost for a Low Cost Installation ($3,600) .......................................................... 5 Figure 2. Monthly Fixed Cost for a High Cost Installation ($11,600) ....................................................... 5 Figure 3. City of Los Angeles Multifamily Residential Parking Constraint Index ...................................... 7 Figure 4. SAE J1772 ................................................................................................................................. 11 Figure 5. Conductive Charging Station (AeroVironment's Pedestal Mounted Charging Dock) ............ 11 Figure 6. Inductive Charging (A model from Plugless Power) ................................................................ 12 Figure 7. Level 3 Charger from Coulomb Technologies .......................................................................... 12 Figure 8. Better Place Battery Swap Station ........................................................................................... 15 Figure 9. City of Los Angeles Housing Stock, 2009 (U.S. Census Tracts) ............................................. 16 Figure 10. Age of Los Angeles Housing Stock through 2009 (U.S. Census Tracts) .............................. 18 Figure 11. Concentrations of Multifamily Residential Buildings by U.S. Census Tract, City of Los Angeles ...................................................................................................................................................... 18 Figure 12. City of Los Angeles Multifamily Parking Constraint Index .................................................... 20 Figure 13. Monthly Fixed Cost for a Low Cost Installation ($3,600) ..................................................... 26 Figure 14. Monthly Fixed Cost for a High Cost Installation ($11,600) .................................................