12 Level 2 stations scheduled for Huntington Beach CA

[Aeolus]

On the agenda for the City Council meeting in Surf City on Tuesday September 6th is an action item to install 12 Chargepoint stations at five locations in Huntington Beach.

Locations are

2 at Bella Terra parking structure (freeway close free parking)
2 at HB City Hall free parking
2 at Downtown HB parking structure (reasonably priced parking)
6 at the Beach
2 at Pierside Pavilion ($15 a day parking or annual Beach parking pass for $150).
4 nearby at the Beach RV lot ($15 a day parking or annual Beach parking pass for $150)

All of these are City owned lots, and the staff recommendation is to make the charging free through the end of 2013, during the period that all of the costs, except electricity, are being covered by federal grants.

Here's your link to the agenda item http://records.surfcity-hb.org/sire...iq50v34513xkc1r4/289309409052011044043781.PDF

And if you have any suggestions for the City Council, you can send an email through this link
http://user.govoutreach.com/surfcity/support.php?classificationId=8856&caseType=Question&lang=&langTopic=Contact%20Department%20Director&extra3=City%20Clerk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not a bad idea to send a quick email of support, thanking them for their leadership and also recommending that they also lead with installation of Level 3 charging stations and make sure that they have appropriate signage to prevent the spots from being ICE'd.

Huntington Beach does offer a free one year parking pass if you buy your LEAF in HB. Wonder if the dealer will figure this out and use it to sell some cars.

 

[TRONZ]

Nice! Looks like another place to stop and hang out.

 

[KeiJidosha]

"The CT2100 model charging stations are dual output stations designed for public outdoor applications. Both outputs can deliver energy simultaneously."

Will they be placed to service 2 EV parking spots each, aka AB475 compliant?

 

[fooljoe]

Huntington Beach does offer a free one year parking pass if you buy your LEAF in HB. Wonder if the dealer will figure this out and use it to sell some cars.

What are the details on this? I bought mine from Surf City Nissan and didn't hear anything about a free parking pass. Do you have to be an HB resident? Speaking of Surf City Nissan, I just got an email from them telling me I have a free oil change scheduled for tomorrow morning. Nice one.

Oh and hopefully HB does a better job at signage/enforcement of their charging spaces than Seal Beach. Each time I've checked out the 3 new chargers in Seal Beach they've been ICE'd.

 

[Aeolus]

What are the details on this? I bought mine from Surf City Nissan and didn't hear anything about a free parking pass. Do you have to be an HB resident?

Anyone who purchases a vehicle from an HB dealer between July 1 2011 and June 30, 2012 is eligible for an annual pass worth $150.

 

[Aeolus]

Following is my email to the Huntington Beach City Council, followed by the quick and informative staff reply. Huntington Beach hired a staff member to work specifically on energy and conservation issues a few years ago, and he has been very successful in reducing City expenditures, obtaining grant funding, implementing large scale solar projects at City Hall and the library at zero cost to the city, and now working on EV infrastructure.

Congratulations on some great staff work in securing over $700,000 in free charging stations for the City of Huntington Beach. This is the type of action which will encourage visitors and promote the City as a destination.

It could also be a boon for Huntington Beach auto dealers who are selling a variety of electric and plug in hybrid vehicles, who will be able to further promote the free parking pass program, which will give free parking and access to EV charging. I hope they will actively promote this and advertise Surf City as being EV friendly. Huntington Beach has Nissan, Mitsubishi, Ford, and Chevrolet dealers, all of whom could actively promoting Surf City as a place where they can get free beach access with free EV charging if they purchase their vehicles in Surf City.

A few thoughts. First, I hope that the city will provide the require signage to make these spots AB475 compliant. AB 475 is a very recent bill that replaces a statewide parking sticker program for EV's with a program that threatens towing of vehicles parked in these spaces if they are not connected to the chargers. This also broadens the definition to include plug in hybrids like the Chevy Volt, and not just pure electric vehicles.

Although the new generation of electric vehicles is new, there have already been widespread reports of abuse of the parking spots with chargers by cars that are not eligible, as well as abuse by cars that are eligible but are not actually using the stations to charge. Signage, and threats of towing are effective in preserving these spots for their usage.

Also, may I suggest that the Council actively investigate a program that would encourage placement of Level 3 chargers at various freeway close locations like Bella Terra. The Level 3 chargers offer a Quick Charge, which could add another 80 miles of range to a pure electric car, and will be very much in demand. Because of the speed of charging, these would definitely be something where a fee would be required, both for the actual electricity used, and a convenience charge to recover the cost of the station. While there is not universal agreement on the standards, the only vendors to put Level 3 chargers in production vehicles have standardized on the CHademo standard.

Finally, I am a curious as to how the stations will be implemented at the RV parking area. Will these be limited only to extra vehicles brought with RV's, or will designated spaces in this lot be open only to EV's for charging?

Staff reply

The city of Huntington Beach is doing our part of make PEV infrastructure accessible. The parking spots will have 4 hr electric vehicle charging signage and vehicles illegally parked there will be subject to citation. Citations can be issued for non-EV parking and EV but not charging parking.

The city is aware of Level 3 charging, however, the grant funding cannot be used for this and the market for level 3 chargers is not developed or ready for implementation.

The stations are not in the RV camping area but next to Jr. Lifeguard headquarters where the existing electrical infrastructure was sufficient for installation. These spots will be normal EV charging station parking spots with appropriate signage.

 

[richard]

Thanks to Aeolus for posting this notice. I happened to catch it this morning, and planned to make it to the council meeting this evening.

I was the only public speaker for this item.

I introduced myself as a resident, a driver and a longtime member of Plug in America. I thanked the council for considering the bill. I reminded the coucil of the HB Green Fest coming up again Sept. 17th and remembered that I had been lucky to speak to Mayor Joe Carchio at last year's Plug in America booth.

My main points were:

The cars are coming.

Chargepoint makes decent stations.

Use of the stations should be free. I want to thank Tom Saxton for some great talking points. I didn't end up using them, however, once I realized that staff was recommending the free option already. Didn't want to stir the pot. Since one of the sites is at one of HB's best movie theaters, I did mention it was petty to charge a family $1 or $2 for the charge when they could be spending $70-100 to see an IMAX movie.

The stations shouldn't be located up-front-and center. EV drivers prefer the stations be located at less desireable locations, so they're less likely to be ICEd.

I mentioned a recent experience with a faulty station in Anaheim, and suggested that the city make sure their service agreement with Coulomb guarantees quick repairs.

I closed with the idea that there are so few public quick chargers in CA (In my haste, I called these "Level-3"), that there's an opportunity for a city to install a real "destination" charger here.

Board Discusson

Item 11 was one of two items that required more in-depth board action, so it came up very early in the agenda. Good thing, because I had my daughter there but wanted to see things play out.

By the way, the first item (reappointment of a City Historian) had two or three board comments, so this gives you a baseline for how much the board was to scrutinize the charging station item.

Connie Boardman started by following up on my quick charger comment. Why wasn't a quick charger included in this bid? Staff replied that this was a CEC funded project, and quick chargers did not qualify.

Devin Dwyer followed up on my siting comment by asking how the city was ensuring that the spots wouldn't be blocked (ICEd). Staff replied that the spots will have a 4-hour time limit and will have "EV Only" signage. Staff mentioned that the Coulomb stations have the ability to send text messages telling the driver when the charge is complete.

Staff mentioned that John Whitney from Clean Fuel Connection and Michael Jones from Coulomb were here to answer further questions.

Matt Harper asked how Coulomb was selected (they approached the city because it currently has zero [modern] stations) Why didn't this trigger an open call? (multiple bids) He wanted to know how staff knew there were no other competitors.

John Whitney and Michael Jones spoke. The DOE selected Coulomb for this grant program to install 5,000 charging stations. The purpose is to drive adoption of EVs. The stations will collect data through December 2013. Findings will be used to analyse broader public policy.

Michael Jones said Coulomb was one of the two companies, and Coulomb had the better product.

Joe Carchio was afraid that even though their understanding was that the stations were free to the city, there was some language in the agreement that sounded like the city needed to first qualify for another grant. Michael said that there is a CEC follow-on grant that is new. He assured Joe that the stations will be free and that the board will have that in writing.

Connie Boardman went over the planned locations. She referred to the Sunset Vista RV Parking site as allowing for beach access. I wasn't familiar with that site, but it sounds like the intent is not for use by RV owners, but by public beach visitors. She said that "attracting EV drivers to our city is a good thing." Connie's comments were by far the most positive. Sounds like we might have an EV owner on the council ;-)

Matt Harper mentioned the old charging location at the Block at Orange, and asked how staff knew this wouldn't happen again. Michael said that previously charging designs were proprietary and the new one was SAE approved.

He asked how long the Coulomb committment was. Staff said that all stations were on city-owned lots, and after Dec 2013, the stations belong to the city, and the city can do what it wishes.

Devin Dwyer asked if we can ramp up billing if usage becomes high.

Joe Shaw called on a rep from SCE in the audience and asked for SCEs thoughts on grid impact, and projected EV demand in HB.

She (didn't catch her name) said that as far as SCE is concerned, they just want to know in advance where the stations are going. They don't foresee any supply concerns.

SCE is more concerned with time-of-day for residential charging, and that is why they're focusing outreach efforts there. She concluded by saying that HB is one of SCE's top-10 early-adopter cities, in terms of EV demand.

Connie Boardman again asked about the possibility of adding quick-chargers to the deal. Michael said that there is no standardized connector yet for this level of charging. :?

Matt Harper was concerned with the lack of competitive process. He wanted the board to know that "EVs are different than hybrids", in terms of grid impact (in spite of SCE saying the opposite) and that "electricity doesn't all come off of those solar panels", but from natural gas as well. :roll:

The board voted and the authorization passed 6-1, with Harper the only "no" vote.

So HB is getting 12 stations!

 

[Aeolus]

Thanks for the follow up and for speaking. I watched this item on the live streaming feed, and had spent some time talking with Council Member Boardman about level 3 quick charge stations yesterday. Hopefully the council members will follow uo wuth this, but it did not seem as if coulomb and chargepoint were very interested.

 

[richard]

Thanks for the follow up and for speaking. I watched this item on the live streaming feed, and had spent some time talking with Council Member Boardman about level 3 quick charge stations yesterday. Hopefully the council members will follow uo wuth this, but it did not seem as if coulomb and chargepoint were very interested.

That explains her interest

Spent some time talking with the vendor reps after the meeting.
I asked them why they thought there was no standardized quick-charge connector? They mentioned all the proposed standards, including European ones. I reminded them of all the installed CHAdeMO stations in Japan.
Then they said there was only one UL listed quick charge station (Aerovironment). I mentioned that Eaton's unit is ETL listed for the same UL spec. Michael said that cities still require listing by UL.
They said that there was no business case for a company to install a quick charger, due to the capital costs. I replied that that's why I thought a city would be a better owner for a station like this.
Michael said that the capital and ongoing costs of X number of stations to properly cover a city would be astronomical. I wonder if this has to be an all-or-none proposition?

They can't see it yet. However there's a big opportunity here for a city that wants to start the California "Electric Expressway".

A DC quick station has the potential to lure drivers off the freeway if necessary, and drive a five miles inland (in the case of HB) just to get that charge.

Oh well. In any case, I was sweating it a little when Connie brought up "Level 3" for the second time, because I started to get afraid that the council would scotch the current deal to "evaluate" the quick-charging option.

12 stations is a great committment from HB at this time. Coulomb and Clean Fuel Connection scored a good deal for themselves, and should be commended. It looked a little dicey in there for a while. But they appeared to have anticipated the council's questions, and had the right answers.

 

[popak]

This is excellent news. I had written to the HB City Council to consider installing EVSEs at City Hall and at the Central Library (especially, considering the giant solar arrays they have there). Had also written to Bella Terra management back in July. Plus, also recommended the sites on the ChargePoint website.

Looks like ChargePoint had already been on this and engaged all the right parties to get this done. The Bella Terra location (in addition to South Coast Plaza a little south) is especially convenient off I-405 for those travelling from San Diego to LA.

 

[richard]

OC Register article on the decision to install 12 new charging stations in HB.

Nothing new here. It would be nice to know approximately when these should go into service. I will contact Coulomb to see if I can find out.

 

[TRONZ]

Regarding Level 3, it is a very important point that SAE will NOT replace CHAD. Too many EV's are already CHAD so SAE will become a parallel standard at best. Nothing SAE is even planned for production. If SAE ever makes a QC standard these units will just be installed next to the CHAD units. They will not replace them.

 

[Aeolus]

The staff report indicated that these were scheduled to be installed in October, 2011 to meet the terms of the grants.

 

[JimSouCal]

The staff report indicated that these were scheduled to be installed in October, 2011 to meet the terms of the grants.

Did the chargers in Huntington Beach ever get installed. Nothing close on the chargepoint site except Seal Beach... ???

 

[Aeolus]

Not installed yet. Coulomb needed to wait for some gummint approvals. Will update when there is news.

 

[richard]

The staff report indicated that these were scheduled to be installed in October, 2011 to meet the terms of the grants.

Did the chargers in Huntington Beach ever get installed. Nothing close on the chargepoint site except Seal Beach... ???

Got the following update from Michael Jones with Coulomb:

HB is nearing the start of construction. HB had a long planning and review process.

 

[Aeolus]

I charged today at one of two Coulomb stations at Bella Terra. Two J1772 Level 2 chargers close to the internal elevator shaft on the first floor. Signage not up yet, but stations are operating.

My contacts tell me that the stations at the Beach and at the City parking structure downtown may be operational this week. The stations at the City Hall are just getting their building permits now, so they will be installed a little later.

Thanks, Surf City!

 

[Boomer23]

Cool, thanks for the update. I'll be looking for these EVSEs. Time for a celebratory dinner at Dukes at the Beach, methinks.

 

[JimSouCal]

Cool, thanks for the update. I'll be looking for these EVSEs. Time for a celebratory dinner at Dukes at the Beach, methinks.

Yes, thanks.... The waves North of the Pier last Friday were lots of fun... Would really like to take the LEAF next time... Following developments closely...

 

[JimSouCal]

I charged today at one of two Coulomb stations at Bella Terra. Two J1772 Level 2 chargers close to the internal elevator shaft on the first floor. Signage not up yet, but stations are operating.

Thanks for the report... Was just there on Friday seeing a movie... Do you need a charge point or blink card, or is it just free. Please share more details... I am not that familiar with the area, but there is only one multi-floor parking structure, as far as I can tell?