http://www.berkeleyside.com/2016/09/22/curbside-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-start-to-appear-in-berkeley/
Curbside electric car charging stations arrive in Berkeley
September 22, 2016 Natalie Orenstein
[images
http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IMG_6088-720x540.jpg
Bernhard Haux installed one of the city’s first personal curbside
electric-vehicle charging stations at his McGee Avenue home in Berkeley
in
February. Photo: Natalie Orenstein
http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IMG_6093-720x540.jpg
A curbside charging station outside an Allston Way home. Photo: Natalie
Orenstein
http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IMG_6082-720x540.jpg
A curbside charging station does not guarantee that the owner will
always
have access to the parking space. Photo: Natalie Orenstein
]
Sebastian Vollering was first in line to reserve a Tesla Model 3, the
more
economical version of the electric car, at the Walnut Creek store this
spring.
The South Berkeley resident won’t get his new car until the end of
2017, but
he is already preparing for it. Vollering is the latest to be approved
under
a city program that allows some residents to install personal
electric-vehicle charging stations in the public right of way in front
of
their homes.
The 2014 Residential Curbside Electric Vehicle Charging Pilot allows
for up
to 25 of these stations by December 2017. Applicants must not have a
driveway or garage where they could otherwise place a charging station.
Twenty people have qualified for curbside stations so far, though only
four
have completed the installation, said Sarah Moore, a planner in the
city’s
office of energy and sustainable development.
Vollering was relieved when his application was approved earlier this
month.
“It’s very hard for us to have an electric vehicle,” he said.
Vollering’s
Emerson Street home has no driveway. “It becomes quite cumbersome when
you
go to a public charger and you have to pay for it long enough for it to
charge.” Vollering also wanted the option to charge his car at home
because
he uses solar power.
The curbside charging pilot is part of the city’s effort to meet the
goals
outlined in the Berkeley Climate Action Plan. The plan, adopted by the
City
Council in 2009, sets a goal of a 33% reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions
between 2000 and 2020. It is a landmark on the way to an 80% reduction
by
2050, a goal voters set with Measure G in 2006. Emissions decreased by
9%
between 2000-2013, according to the city’s latest progress report.
Transportation contributes to about half of Berkeley’s greenhouse gas
emissions, Moore said. “Electric vehicles dramatically cut emissions,”
she
said.
There were 1,233 plug-in electric vehicles registered in Berkeley at
the end
of 2015, according to Moore, who received the data from the DMV. That
is
more than triple what Moore estimated in the spring of 2014 using data
from
the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.
The city has encouraged businesses to install charging stations for
customers or employees. There are also public stations at the Berkeley
Marina, the Oxford Street parking garage and the Telegraph/Channing
garage,
which cost $1.50/hour plus parking fees, and have four-hour charging
limits.
The city does not keep track of the number of on-site home-charging
stations, Moore said.
Applications for the curbside program are coming from all over the
city, but
the majority are in Central Berkeley, Moore said.
“We wouldn’t have bought an electric car if we hadn’t been approved for
the
curbside program,” said Bernhard Haux, a McGee Avenue resident who
installed
a curbside station in February. Relying on public stations to charge
his
Chevy Volt before the installation was “almost prohibitive,” he said.
The program does not grant the owner of a curbside station exclusive
rights
to the adjacent parking space. Haux said he rarely has an issue, but
his
block typically has decent parking. His car has an 85-mile range, so a
full
charge typically lasts him three days of commuting to San Francisco and
back. Applicants are required to notify neighbors before they are
approved
for the program.
Many residents who qualify for the program do not end up following
through
with installation, usually due to cost, Moore said.
An 11th-hour project grant covers up to $2,000 in permitting fees for
each
applicant. Even so, installing a curbside charging station is a pricy
project. Residents may need to upgrade their electric panels or tear up
the
sidewalk.
Vollering was quoted $5,000-$6,000 for the charger and construction.
“All of a sudden your car is becoming a lot more expensive,” he said.
“I
feel strongly enough about the sustainability issue that I’m hoping to
pull
this off and pay a little extra.”
For Haux, the curbside charging station has been worth the upfront
costs.
“I’ve barely noticed a difference on my electric bill,” he said. He
hopes
the station will add value to his home.
There were a few roadblocks that stalled the installation of Haux’s
station,
as both the city and the contractors explored new territory,
determining
where the electric conduit could run and how much the sidewalk had to
be
broken up.
Berkeley is one of the first cities in the nation to allow private
curbside
charging. Philadelphia has had a program for several years, and
residents
there get a reserved parking space next to the curbside station. In
2013, a
Palo Alto resident reportedly installed the first curbside charging
station
in the country, allowing any electric vehicle owner to charge up at his
spot.
Others are beginning to take note.
“I get quite a few calls from other cities,” Moore said — from
Vancouver to
New Orleans.
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