Electric Vehicle Charging Station in Municipal Parking Ramp

During the May 27, 2014 council meeting Susan Overson, Park Planner for the National Park Service,presented the city of Ramsey with a ceremonial check for $10,000.00 for the installation of an electric vehicle charging station to be located in the municipal parking ramp. The check was made possible through the Clean Cities Initiative Grant. The Mississippi Regional Recreational Area was one of five parks to receive the grant.  Motorized vehicles are not allowed in the park, which makes access a challenge and the reason we were considered for the grant award.

 Grant award for the EV station is up to $10,333.33 per site

• Charge Point+ (through the Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition grant)will provide all necessary equipment for the install

        •             City of Ramsey will conduct the labor/install with the manufacture and invoice (Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition)
        •             Signage will be paid for and provided on top of the $10,333.33 through Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition and NPS
 
Once the equipment is installed the general maintenance and upkeep costs are City of Ramsey’s responsibility. After the first 3 years the internet subscription/data plan will be city’s responsibility (at this time a 3 year plan is $640 through Chargepoint+).
Note: The city attorney is reviewing the contract with ChargePoint+ before any installation work  begins

15 Minutes

The ChargePoint+ was selected by staff for our electric vehicle (EV) charging station.  The ChargePoint+ network allows users to locate charging stations on their mobile app and lets them know the availability of the charging station. Cost to use the station is dependent on what the owner (city of Ramsey) chooses to charge their customers. When a user locates a charging station they wish to use, the price will be shown along with the location on the mobile app. The station is accessed by using a Chargepoint+ card.  The card acts much like a prepaid credit card.  The question before the committee is do we want to charge for the use of the station or not.  Many stations do not charge at all for the service, and some charge by the hour or by the kilowatt/hr. Using a Chevrolet Volt as an example and charging by the kilowatt/hr the total cost would be approximately $1.50  ($.113/Kwh x 13.6 Kwh)  Other charging stations owners charge by the hour, with the typical cost running from $.25/hr to $1.50/hr.  Charging by the hour has the advantage of discouraging people from plugging in for long periods of time and preventing other people from taking advantage of the service.  Charging by the kilowatt hour is fairly complex because of all the different rate schedules, peak period summer, peak period winter, intermediate period, off peak period, etc....Also the usage would be lumped in with the ramps overall electrical usage , so it may be difficult to separate the actual cost of the electrical use. Chargepoint+ administers the collection of all money collected at the charging station. They charge  a 10% fee for administering the program.  At the end of the month Chargepoint+ would send the city a check for any monies collected from usage of the station, minus their 10% and and taxes that  may be required by law.
 

Parking Ramp Maintenance Fund 9240

Staff would recommend making the charging service free for the first 6 months and then review the usage and see if adjustments need to be made. By doing this we can promote the service and see what the demand really is for the station. Connexus energy is installing charging stations on their campus and have been contacted by staff, to see if they will share  how they calculate their usage rates.

Staff  recommends making the electric vehicle charging service in the municipal parking ramp  free for the first 6 months and then review the usage and see if adjustments need to be made or reject staff recommendation and choose another recommendation based on committee discussion.