SR 09-10-2019 3J
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: September 10, 2019
Agenda Item: 3.J
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Susan Cline, Director, Public Works, Office of Sustainability & the
Environment
Subject: Award Request for Proposal #224 and enter into Agreement with EVgo
Services LLC for Public Direct Current Fast Charging Stations
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award RFP# 224 to EVgo Services LLC, a California-based company, to provide
DC fast charging services in Santa Monica;
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with EVgo
Services LLC Corporation to install, own, and operate DC fast charging stations
on City-owned properties.
Summary
At the core of the City’s Framework Priority to be a model for curbing climate change,
the City’s adopted Climate Action and Adaptation Plan calls for Santa Monica to achieve
carbon neutrality (zero carbon dioxide emissions) by 2050 or sooner. The shift to
electric vehicles contribute to the City’s ability to achieve this goal. The Electric Vehicle
Action Plan (EV Action Plan) calls for the installation of a minimum of 10 public direct
current (DC) fast chargers and aims to increase the total number of EV charging
stations citywide to 300 by the end of 2020.
Santa Monica residents have been early adopters of electric vehicles and strong
advocates of expanding the City’s EV charging infrastructure. As the number of EVs in
Santa Monica continues to rise, the public’s demand for fast-charging options increases.
Providing fast-charging services is an important infrastructure investment that will
enable more drivers to switch to electric vehicles, which is a key strategy to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions as outlined in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
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Staff recommends authorizing an agreement with EVgo Services LLC for the
installation, ownership, and operation of DC fast chargers on City property. Although the
City operates conventional chargers at no cost to users, fast chargers represent an
important advance in practicality for users who will pay a per-minute use fee to use
these fast charging stations. EVgo Services will install and maintain these charging
stations at no cost to the City and will reimburse the City with a licensing fee of
approximately $165 per space per month to support further expansion of the City’s
charging network.
Discussion
DC fast chargers, also known as Level 3 chargers, charge electric vehicles at a
significantly faster rate of 480 volts compared to standard Level 2 chargers, which
supply power at 240 volts. DC fast chargers can charge a vehicle in 30 to 60 minu tes
compared to Level 2 chargers, which typically charge a vehicle in four to eight hours
depending on the size of the vehicle battery and the charge rate (kW).
Installing DC fast chargers in Santa Monica would serve residents of multi-family
buildings who do not have home charging access, employees, visitors, and ride share
drivers who have chosen to go electric and require faster charging services.
Currently, the City owns and operates 143 public, Level 2 charging ports and only one
DC fast charger located at the Civic Center Parking Structure. Due to the necessary
extensive electrical infrastructure and investment, installing DC fast chargers is more
expensive and complex than installing Level 2 chargers. Allowing an experienced third -
party Electric Vehicle Service Provider (EVSP) to handle all DC fast-charging costs and
operations is more economical and efficient than the City managing and financing this
process at this point in time.
EVgo would work with the City to install fast chargers at the agreed-upon sites and
identify additional sites in the future. EVgo would pay for the installation, equipment, and
all operating costs, including utilities and maintenance. EVgo would retain the revenues
from user fees and remit a licensing fee to the City for the use of the public space to
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operate the charging stations. DC fast charging stations would have a maximum
parking time limit (likely 90 minutes) to ensure user turnover.
Due to anticipated new market entrants and declining production costs of chargi ng
equipment in the next few years, the initial contract term would likely be 3 to 5 years
with options to extend at the City’s discretion.
EVgo’s user fees are set by state and/or regional entities based on electricity costs and
are offered in two tiers: Pay As You Go or Monthly Membership. These fees would
apply only to DC fast-charging stations, not to the City-owned Level 2 stations that are
currently free of charge. This City has not yet implemented a policy on City-issued
charging fees for cost-recovery at Level 2 stations.
EVgo User Fees – Los Angeles Region
Pay As You Go Membership
Monthly Fee $0 $7.99
Charging Fee $0.27/min $0.23/min
Session Length Up to 45 min Up to 60 min from 8pm-6am
Up to 45 min from 6am-8pm
Past Council Actions
11/14/17 (Attachment A) Council adopted the Electric Vehicle Action Plan
05/28/2019 (Attachment B) Council adopted the Climate Action & Adaptation Plan
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Qualified Person/Firm EVgo Services LLC
Evaluation Criteria
Previous experience, references, work plans, project team, proposed
fees to the City, technical and site proposals, flexibility and creativity, and
compliance with City specifications.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
RFPs Received
EVgo Services LLC Zeco Systems Inc. dba
Greenlots
Paseki Strategies
Corporation
Charge Technologies
Inc.
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RFP Data
Posted On Posted On
Advertised In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
04/23/2019 City's Online
Bidding Site Santa Monica Daily Press 18 04/23/2019
Justification to Award
The evaluation committee was composed of a representative from the EV Subcommittee
of the Task Force on the Environment, and staff from the departments of Public Works,
Planning and Community Development, and Housing and Economic Development. The
committee unanimously selected EVgo as the recommended vendor for the following
reasons:
• The vendor has the most relevant experience and is the largest fast-charging
network provider in the country. It operates more than 550 fast chargers in California
and has partnerships with over 20 cities and organizations throughout the state. It is
also the only network with experience operating fast chargers in the public-right-of-
way (e.g. the proposed 9th Street and Colorado Ave location),
• EVgo was the only proposer to offer a fee to the City for the use of the City’s parking
facilities. (The proposed fee was $150 per parking stall per month.)
• EVgo would offer a unique FastStart option at the Civic location to provide a
temporary charging station while permitting and construction are under way. This is a
self-contained unit (no construction required) offered at no cost to the City during site
development.
• EVgo has the highest customer ratings on PlugShare, a website and mobile app tha t
aggregates customer feedback on charging stations and providers.
Based on this criteria and criteria in SMMC 2.24.190, staff recommends EVgo Services
LLC (EVgo) as the best qualified firm to provide DC fast charging equipment and
services.
The RFP included DC fast-charging locations reviewed and suggested by City staff and
the EV Subcommittee of the Task Force on the Environment, and invited proposers to
recommend additional locations. The suggested locations were: Civic Center Parking
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Lot, Parking Structure 6, Lot 29, Lot 12, Beach Lot 4 North, Beach Lot North, and 9 th
Street at Colorado Avenue (public right-of-way). These sites were selected based on
convenient user access and space availability for the charging equipment and
transformers.
EVgo proposed the following initial sites to install fast chargers:
Location Address Number of DCFCs
Civic Center Parking Lot 1855 Main St. Up to 12
9th Street and Colorado Avenue (public
right-of-way)
1547 9th St. 4
Lot 29 1638 5th St. 4
Parking Structure 8 1571 2nd St. 4
Total 24
*Station locations and numbers are subject to change.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
EVgo would own and operate the DC fast-charging stations on City-owned property at
no cost to the City. EVgo would pay the City for use of the City’s parking facilities and
public right-of-way at a rate to be determined during the negotiation process. If 24
charging stations are installed, a rate of $165 per parking space per month would
generate $47,520 in revenue per year. Per SMMC 6.70.020, revenues would be subject
to a 10% Parking Facility Tax.
A revenue budget would be established during the FY 2019-20 mid-year budget, after
staff finalizes the licensing fee negotiations.
Staff are still evaluating the implementation of a cost recovery system for Level 2
stations to help fund operating costs and support the expansion of the EV charging
network. Cost recovery options include a user fee (e.g. fee per kWh) and/or overstay
charge for drivers that exceed their time limits at charging st ations.
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Prepared By: Ariana Vito, Sustainability Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Nov 14, 2017 Staff Report - Electric Vehicle Action Plan (Web Link)
B. May 28, 2019 Staff Report - Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (Web Link)
C. EVgo Oaks Initiative Disclosure Form
REFERENCE:
Agreement No. 10936
(CCS)