ELROY
Well-known member
I spoke with the city representatives about the need for low cost L2 charging. They said we can expect to get some possibly no cost L2 chargers at the Camarillo Metrolink station first quarter of 2014. They have been great at listening to input from citizens and going from having almost no chargers to becoming a premier location for EV travel. City Hall has been great to deal with.
Also, A friend of mine has a Tesla and actually went to Oxnard City hall and complained about the high prices of their new chargers with good results. Here is an article from the loca newspaper:
Subject: VC Star Article From September 20 Re EV Chargers Oxnard
Electric car owners ask Oxnard for a do-over on rates
Gretchen Wenner
on Thu Sep 19, 2013 6:20 PM PDT
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1 of 5
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Before they’ve even been cranked on, three new electric vehicle chargers in downtown Oxnard are sparking a possible do-over.
Some owners of battery-powered cars — including models with hefty price tags — are asking Oxnard to lower the cost of plugging in.
In July, the City Council agreed to charge $2.25 an hour, an amount staff said would cover operating and power costs. No one spoke against the proposed rate at the time.
Now, some enthusiasts are saying it’s too much. From Solvang and Santa Barbara through Ojai, Ventura and Thousand Oaks down to Santa Monica, neighboring cities provide access for free, or charge mostly 50 cents to $1 an hour at municipal stations, they say.
“Cities that have free chargers do it because it will attract people to their communities,” said Russell Sydney, a Santa Paula resident who owns a Chevrolet Volt and writes books about electric vehicles.
Sydney said he’ll drive to Ojai and “spend $40-$100 because I’m going to save 70 cents on electricity.”
Ojai has four public chargers, two across from City Hall and two at the park-and-ride. All are free.
Oxnard council members seem generally open to taking another look at the fee. But some expressed concerns about subsidizing fuel for relatively well-to-do car owners.
“Personally, I would be happy to make it free,” said Councilwoman Carmen Ramirez, who has asked for the issue to be put on a future agenda. “But because of budget issues, we are in full cost-recovery mode for everything.”
Councilwoman Dorina Padilla said she initially questioned the proposed rate when the matter came up in July because a staff report showed Oxnard’s fees were high for the region. Now that more people are expressing interest, she believes it’s worth revisiting.
If the fee isn’t adjusted, Oxnard will be known as the most expensive city in the region for electric vehicle charging, said James Reach, an Oxnard attorney and real estate developer who owns a Tesla Motors Model S.
“Does Oxnard want that reputation?” he said.
Reach and Sydney both addressed the council at the Sept. 10 meeting.
Though they have different ideas about what the fee should be — Sydney would prefer to be charged by the kilowatt, while Reach would prefer a simple hourly rate that is competitive locally — they both believe the charging stations are a way to attract business to the downtown area. Drivers like to eat and shop while waiting to refuel, they say.
What’s more, downtown Oxnard will soon have competition from The Collection, the swank new shopping center at the northern end of the city along Highway 101. Tesla on Thursday got city approval to install a “Supercharger” station there, with 10 chargers that allow free, fast refueling for Model S cars — high-performance vehicles with price tags that can exceed $100,000. Doug Spondello, a planner with the city, said approval of the Tesla station also requires installation of four chargers for standard electric vehicles at The Collection within the next two years.
Reach’s effort to revamp Oxnard’s rates may have added a high-profile advocate Tuesday morning, thanks to a chance meeting at the charging station in downtown Ventura’s parking garage.
Assemblyman Das Williams pulled up to one of the 50-cents-an-hour chargers with his Chevy Volt about the same time Reach backed in to demonstrate how the Tesla fills up. Williams, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, said he uses Ventura’s chargers several times a week, both at the downtown garage and the beachside garage on Harbor Boulevard when he goes surfing. He said cities should incentivize people to use electric vehicles, which helps clean the air and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
When Williams heard Oxnard is proposing to charge $2.25 an hour, he gave his card to Reach and said he’d help make the case for lower rates.
“That doesn’t make sense,” he said.
In addition to charging stations on government property, drivers have access to a large private network. Car dealerships, shopping centers, hotels and other sites offer free or low-priced access. Websites such ashttp://www.recargo.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; andhttp://www.chargepoint.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; list facilities.
Stan Cowen, an air quality engineer with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, said there are now more than 80 charging stations in Ventura County, with more in the works. District grants have helped pay for much of the equipment now in place on city and county sites, including Oxnard’s new units.
Electric vehicles are seeing more widespread use in recent years after an earlier push roughly a decade ago fizzled. On Sept. 28, an assortment of cars, drivers and elected officials will be on hand for the local version of National Plug-In Day at The Collection, from noon to 4 p.m.
Bill Watkins, an economics professor at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, said drivers of electric vehicles — like many groups — believe they’re special and deserve subsidies.
“They like to think they’re doing something good for the world, and because of that, the world should help them do it,” he said of the push for low-cost public charging stations. Watkins also said the cars might have no tailpipe emissions, but fossil-fuel burning power plants — including two on Oxnard’s coastline — help provide their electricity.
Councilman Bryan MacDonald said the uptick in use means the council is dealing with a new issue.
Putting the city’s rate structure back on an agenda is the easy part, he said. Reaching a happy medium between the city’s interests and those of electric vehicle owners may be more difficult.
“Certainly, we can try,” he said.
Also, A friend of mine has a Tesla and actually went to Oxnard City hall and complained about the high prices of their new chargers with good results. Here is an article from the loca newspaper:
Subject: VC Star Article From September 20 Re EV Chargers Oxnard
Electric car owners ask Oxnard for a do-over on rates
Gretchen Wenner
on Thu Sep 19, 2013 6:20 PM PDT
Tap image to browse
1 of 5
________________________________________
Before they’ve even been cranked on, three new electric vehicle chargers in downtown Oxnard are sparking a possible do-over.
Some owners of battery-powered cars — including models with hefty price tags — are asking Oxnard to lower the cost of plugging in.
In July, the City Council agreed to charge $2.25 an hour, an amount staff said would cover operating and power costs. No one spoke against the proposed rate at the time.
Now, some enthusiasts are saying it’s too much. From Solvang and Santa Barbara through Ojai, Ventura and Thousand Oaks down to Santa Monica, neighboring cities provide access for free, or charge mostly 50 cents to $1 an hour at municipal stations, they say.
“Cities that have free chargers do it because it will attract people to their communities,” said Russell Sydney, a Santa Paula resident who owns a Chevrolet Volt and writes books about electric vehicles.
Sydney said he’ll drive to Ojai and “spend $40-$100 because I’m going to save 70 cents on electricity.”
Ojai has four public chargers, two across from City Hall and two at the park-and-ride. All are free.
Oxnard council members seem generally open to taking another look at the fee. But some expressed concerns about subsidizing fuel for relatively well-to-do car owners.
“Personally, I would be happy to make it free,” said Councilwoman Carmen Ramirez, who has asked for the issue to be put on a future agenda. “But because of budget issues, we are in full cost-recovery mode for everything.”
Councilwoman Dorina Padilla said she initially questioned the proposed rate when the matter came up in July because a staff report showed Oxnard’s fees were high for the region. Now that more people are expressing interest, she believes it’s worth revisiting.
If the fee isn’t adjusted, Oxnard will be known as the most expensive city in the region for electric vehicle charging, said James Reach, an Oxnard attorney and real estate developer who owns a Tesla Motors Model S.
“Does Oxnard want that reputation?” he said.
Reach and Sydney both addressed the council at the Sept. 10 meeting.
Though they have different ideas about what the fee should be — Sydney would prefer to be charged by the kilowatt, while Reach would prefer a simple hourly rate that is competitive locally — they both believe the charging stations are a way to attract business to the downtown area. Drivers like to eat and shop while waiting to refuel, they say.
What’s more, downtown Oxnard will soon have competition from The Collection, the swank new shopping center at the northern end of the city along Highway 101. Tesla on Thursday got city approval to install a “Supercharger” station there, with 10 chargers that allow free, fast refueling for Model S cars — high-performance vehicles with price tags that can exceed $100,000. Doug Spondello, a planner with the city, said approval of the Tesla station also requires installation of four chargers for standard electric vehicles at The Collection within the next two years.
Reach’s effort to revamp Oxnard’s rates may have added a high-profile advocate Tuesday morning, thanks to a chance meeting at the charging station in downtown Ventura’s parking garage.
Assemblyman Das Williams pulled up to one of the 50-cents-an-hour chargers with his Chevy Volt about the same time Reach backed in to demonstrate how the Tesla fills up. Williams, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, said he uses Ventura’s chargers several times a week, both at the downtown garage and the beachside garage on Harbor Boulevard when he goes surfing. He said cities should incentivize people to use electric vehicles, which helps clean the air and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
When Williams heard Oxnard is proposing to charge $2.25 an hour, he gave his card to Reach and said he’d help make the case for lower rates.
“That doesn’t make sense,” he said.
In addition to charging stations on government property, drivers have access to a large private network. Car dealerships, shopping centers, hotels and other sites offer free or low-priced access. Websites such ashttp://www.recargo.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; andhttp://www.chargepoint.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; list facilities.
Stan Cowen, an air quality engineer with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, said there are now more than 80 charging stations in Ventura County, with more in the works. District grants have helped pay for much of the equipment now in place on city and county sites, including Oxnard’s new units.
Electric vehicles are seeing more widespread use in recent years after an earlier push roughly a decade ago fizzled. On Sept. 28, an assortment of cars, drivers and elected officials will be on hand for the local version of National Plug-In Day at The Collection, from noon to 4 p.m.
Bill Watkins, an economics professor at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, said drivers of electric vehicles — like many groups — believe they’re special and deserve subsidies.
“They like to think they’re doing something good for the world, and because of that, the world should help them do it,” he said of the push for low-cost public charging stations. Watkins also said the cars might have no tailpipe emissions, but fossil-fuel burning power plants — including two on Oxnard’s coastline — help provide their electricity.
Councilman Bryan MacDonald said the uptick in use means the council is dealing with a new issue.
Putting the city’s rate structure back on an agenda is the easy part, he said. Reaching a happy medium between the city’s interests and those of electric vehicle owners may be more difficult.
“Certainly, we can try,” he said.
