Support of Electric Vehicles and Charging Facilities
Editor’s Note: These series are selected from manual Electric Vehicle Community Market Launch Manual: A Guide to Prepare Your Community for Electric Vehicles which was prepared by the Electric Transportation Coalition (ETC) and the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas (EVAA) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
HIGHLIGHTS OF SECTION
PURPOSE
As EVs take to the road, support systems must be put in place that will provide EV owners with the same level of service, maintenance, and convenience that is available for owners of today’s internal combustion-engine vehicles. This section of the Manual provides an overview on EV and charging facility support services.
ISSUES ADDRESSED
- Charging system maintenance
- Vehicle maintenance
- Battery recycling
- EV emergency response training
General Conclusions
- Service for EV charging systems is crucial to ensuring that EVs are available for use.
- Vehicle maintenance is expected to be provided to the consumer by the vehicle seller.
- Today’s automotive lead-acid batteries are being recycled at a rate greater than 95%. Local communities should support the establishment and expansion of collection points for all types of spent automotive batteries.
- Local communities should consider encouraging a secondary-market for EV batteries and recycling of batteries that are no longer usable.
- Local communities must be prepared to offer the same level of emergency response for EVs that is currently available to internal-combustion-engine vehicles.
As EVs take to the roads, communities must establish support systems that will provide the EV owner with the same level of service and maintenance that is available for owners of today’s internal-combustion-engine vehicles. This virtually new support system is crucial to the successful introduction of EVs.
This section of the Manual provides the reader with an overview of:
- EV Charging system maintenance
- Vehicle maintenance
- Battery recycling
- EV emergency response training
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INVESTMENT IN RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, AND PUBLIC CHARGING FACILITIES
Editor’s Note: These series are selected from manual Electric Vehicle Community Market Launch Manual: A Guide to Prepare Your Community for Electric Vehicles which was prepared by the Electric Transportation Coalition (ETC) and the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas (EVAA) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
As with any new technology, investment in EV charging facilities will most likely be based on sound business cases that provide investors an adequate return on investment. The most likely candidate to help communities plan and build charging facilities is the local electric utility, as it is the fuel supplier. However, the infrastructure planner should be aware that other parties may be interested in investing in charging facilities at public locations, such as shopping centers, airports, and work sites.
This section provides information on the following:
- The cost of EV charging facilities
- Utility investment in charging facilities
- Point-of-sale billing at charging facilities
Cost of Charging Facilities
Costs for EV charging station installations vary widely and are dependent upon the type of installation—residential, fleet, commercial, and public—and the specific location. However, studies and actual applications are supplying some cost information, as described in the case studies below.
Residential EV Charging Circuit Installation Cost Analysis
The SCE-PG&E-LADWP infrastructure study described above found that the relationship between housing stock and the EV charger installation cost is complex. However, the estimated average cost to install the electric circuits was similar for all three areas, ranging from $709 for SCE to $874 for PG&E; the composite average was $805.
General Motors Corporation PrEView Drive Circuit/Charger Installation Costs
Participating utilities took different approaches to installing the electric circuits and inductive chargers to support the GM PrEView Drive Program. Those utilities that installed permanent 220 volt/40 ampere circuits have reported costs ranging from an average of $580 for Arizona Public Service to $887 for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Electric Utility Investment/Justification
As the fuel supplier for EVs, electric utilities have a responsibility to prepare the electric supply system for the arrival of EVs. Utilities can consider applying to regulatory agencies (public utility commissions) for funding of EV -related programs based on the utility’s traditional obligation to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective service. The following case study outlines some of the programs that one investor- owned electric utility has sought regulatory approval for:
Southern California Edison Company
In 1993, SCE and other California based, investor-owned utilities began seeking approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to invest in EVs and infrastructure support systems. Specifically, SCE requested approval to:
- Install the necessary electrical wiring in the residential structures of new EV owners to allow for vehicle charging
- Provide infrastructure upgrades before the meter when EVs increase the local load
- Provide load management programs and special rates t o encourage off-peak charging
- Build and evaluate pilot charging facilities in public and employee parking lots, shopping malls and other convenient sites to determine customer need for charging outside the home
- Purchase EVs for meter reading use and other utility fleet vehicle applications
These types of programs may be justified due to a utility’s obligation to serve any electrical load, comply with regulatory and environmental requirements, and support local economic development. For example, utilities are required by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct) to purchase alternative-fuel vehicles starting as early as 1996.Electric and combination electric and gas utilities have the option of selecting EVs, and can justify these purchases, even though EVs may cost more, on the need to comply with EP Act. Early purchases (those before 1998) can be justified on the need to learn how to service this new electrical load, train utility personnel, and generate EP Act credits.
Also, utilities may be able to argue that they should take the lead in reducing their vehicle emissions by using EVs. In areas where mobile sources account for a significant majority of all pollution, it may make sense to publicly promote EVs as a solution to regional air quality problems.
Public utility commissions and other approval agencies for municipal utilities must be convinced that EVs are coming and that they provide benefits to ratepayers. Potential quantifiable benefits to ratepayers can be significant and vary depending on the local electric utility. Typical ratepayer benefits can include a contribution to the utility’s margin from EV owners and costs saved from the successful management of EV load (successful EV load management can help defer the need for additional power plants and distribution system upgrades). Indirect benefits may include enhanced air quality; improved national energy security; other environmental benefits, such as noise abatement and oil spill avoidance; natural gas ratepayer benefits, as additional natural gas may be used to generate electricity; and jobs or economic growth.
Point-of-Sale Billing at Charging Facilities
Point-of-sale billing offers relative convenience for recovery of electricity costs. Nevertheless, its use can result in numerous legal and regulatory complications if not carefully crafted. If billing used such options as separate meters not owned by the utility, and the utility billed only the site owner, the site owner could be found to be selling power directly to the public. In most states, third-party electricity sales would trigger state utility commission regulation for investor-owned utilities (or local regulation for municipal utilities) to address questions such as those related to the law governing the obligations and right of utilities to serve specific areas. In addition, state utility commissions (or local regulatory bodies) have the duty to regulate the rates for all such power sales, as well as the terms and conditions under which such sales take place. In addition, other legal or regulatory obligations could be imposed.
To minimize the administrative and legal complexities of implementing billing systems, contact the local utility. Utilities are well versed in applicable law, and may already have investigated billing options acceptable to your state’s utility commission (or local regulatory body), one of which could be ideally suited to local conditions. One or more options may even have been pre-approved by regulators, saving the community from the delays due to addressing and settling new legal questions.
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UTILITY SYSTEM IMPACTS
Editor’s Note: These series are selected from manual Electric Vehicle Community Market Launch Manual: A Guide to Prepare Your Community for Electric Vehicles which was prepared by the Electric Transportation Coalition (ETC) and the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas (EVAA) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
The EV demand is much larger than that of most electrical appliances. In fact, EVs are likely to constitute a residence’s largest single load. Further, because EVs are mobile, they can be charged at various locations. Because of these characteristics, future charging of a significant number of EVs could present a challenge to utility planners. (See Volume III for technical information on the impact of EV charging on the utility system.) To meet the community’s needs, the local electric utility must be able to fuel all EVs upon request using the most reliable and economic means. Community planners should therefore work with utility planners as early as possible to ensure that sufficient electricity will be available.
This section briefly describes:
- How electric utilities might study the impact of EV charging on their systems
- How EV loads can be controlled
- Minimizing the need for electric panel capacity upgrades
Utility Issues
An electric utility that wants to become EV Ready might consider the following steps:
- Identify the size and likely locations of the EV electrical load
- Identify utility system limits and any system upgrades required as a result of the addition of EVs
- Study the load profile implications of EVs and evaluate load management opportunities
- Determine the best approaches to manage future EV loads
Load Management Options
Strategies for safe, reliable, and economical management of EV loads hinge on employing load management techniques that equitably share the cost and split the savings between the EV customer and the electric utility. Load management provides a means for influencing customer use of electricity to lower the cost of service by decreasing the peak demand on generation and distribution systems. One way utilities manage loads is to offer customers more attractive energy rates during off-peak periods and to charge higher rates during the peak. Utilities can also, with customer agreement, manage loads by controlling when electricity can be provided to the customer.
For EVs charged at residences, a real-time pricing mechanism (see Volume III for a list of time-of-use rates) coupled with a ‘‘smart charger’’ programmed for least-cost charging is one possible load management option. At an EV fleet facility, real-time pricing to encourage off peak charging, coupled with devices that stagger the charging of many EVs at one site, is another load management technique. And at public charging facilities, the operator might consider using some type of energy storage device. However, the price of electricity purchased at these facilities will likely be at a premium to reflect thehigher cost of such facilities.
This case study looks at SCE’s experience with EV load management:
Southern California Edison Company SCE has proposed a load management strategy that relies on a load management device and time-of-use rates to provide the user with a safe, reliable, and cost-effective method of charging an EV. Load management devices may include timers, voltage and current limiters, load-cycling devices, direct load-control devices and smart revenue meters. Some of these devices may ultimately be used in residential structures as part of the Electric Vehicle Interface (EVI) system that is being developed by SCE. The EVI will establish two-way communication between the EV owner and SCE for cost-effective management of EV loads.
Electric Panel Capacity Upgrades
Residential electric panel capacity can be an issue for consumers installing EV charging facilities. Ideally, EV buyers would be aware of this issue before making the purchase, as panel upgrades or other solutions can add to the cost and time of making a home EV-Ready.
In brief, each electrical panel can deliver only a certain amount of amperage at any given time. If the addition of 40 amps of EV demand exceeds that capacity, EV purchasers need to consult with local building officials and utility representatives to identify solutions and cost. One choice might be to replace the panel with a panel large enough to handle the additional load. Another might be to invest in a smart charger that allows EV charging only when other high-amperage appliances are not operating. Still another option might be a load management device that restricts EV charging to low demand off-peak hours, or turns off some other electric load before allowing the EV charging circuit to engage.
Communities can mitigate this problem for new houses by encouraging developers and builders to consider EV charging load requirements when choosing the size of electrical panel to install during new construction. Further, IWC is undertaking a survey and study to determine whether EV charging needs to be considered a ‘‘continuous load.’’ Depending on findings, the group is planning to decrease the continuous load requirement of electric panels by modifying the 1999 National Electric Code. The utilities that have been studying this issue have found the problem may not be widespread, as discussed in the case studies below:
California Utilities
In 1993, SCE, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), and LADWP studied the cost to retrofit about 300 single-family/ multi-family residential structures with a240 volt/40ampere electric circuit from the existing electric service panel to the garage location. (The cost of off board chargers and/or control panels were not included in the study.) Results showed that roughly two-thirds of those surveyed required no electrical panel upgrades.
Consolidated Edison of New York (Con Edison)
Seeking to minimize infrastructure costs during the PrEView program, Con Edison surveyed candidate participants from a list supplied by GM to identify those who had 3-wire, 220 volt, 100 amp service entering their off-street parking locations. This criterion did not eliminate any potential participants. In the few cases where the panel capacity would not support additional breakers, Con Edison installed a subpanel. One user agreed to forego using the home’s air conditioner while the vehicle was charging, flipping as witch to control the selection. Infrastructure costs averaged $750 for each installation.
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Electric Car Conversion Manual
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