Most
efforts to create an electric vehicle charging network, including here
in California, are way behind schedule and not designed to properly
reach everyone.
We need to rethink how to make EV charging available to all and at a fraction of the cost.
EV charging is expensive to install especially in multifamily housing.
Peninsula Clean Energy’s Associate Director of Energy Programs Phillip Kobernick has
been leading an effort to have charging networks better focus on
providing charging where people live, particularly for multi-family
residents, in addition to the historical emphasis on publicly available
fast charging.
The
obvious solution is staring us in the face but has been overlooked
because it is low tech. But this is where we can have a high impact: Installing hundreds of thousands of Level 1 outlets at assigned parking spaces in multi-family properties.
Charging
overnight via these outlets more than covers the average daily needs
for most drivers at a much lower cost of $2,500 per charger installed
versus $10,000 to $18,000 with investor-owned utilities such as
PG&E.
By
plugging in via a normal outlet just like many people are already
doing, this change in approach would allow a significant increase in
the total amount of chargers that can be installed within existing
budgets.
In
addition to lowering project costs, reducing charging prices to EV
drivers is a major equity issue. A new analysis from Peninsula Clean
Energy further details project design strategies to lower the charging
costs for EV drivers, including direct wiring, virtual submetering and
other approaches.
Phillip,
a former government EV fleet manager, and Peninsula Clean Energy are
also focused on right-sizing efforts to expand government EV fleets to
make sure they are also equitable and cost-effective.
Let me know if you are interested in chatting with Phillip.
Thanks.
Darren
--
Darren Goode
Media Relations, Peninsula Clean Energy
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Reports - Events
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of San Bruno CA