Seattle City moves toward zero emission – will install free EV charger on pole. A zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) is defined as any method of transportation that emits no hazardous emissions in any way. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are the main focus here.
Battery electric vehicles (BEV) and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV), the latter of which produces only water vapor. These are among today’s expanding list of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV).
Hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) cars are not really zero-emission vehicles. This is because they still emit some pollutants while their gasoline-powered engines are running.
The ZEV rule aims to help the state meet its long-term pollution reduction targets. This is done by mandating automakers to sell a specified quantity of the cleanest automobiles on the market. Full battery-electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid-electric cars are all examples of these technologies.
Smog-forming and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are limited under the Advanced Clean Cars package. This includes the ZEV rule as well as other tailpipe requirements.
There is a National Grid scheme in Melrose, Massachusetts, where EV chargers will be installed on street light poles. It’s becoming more popular.
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Seattle City moves toward zero emission – will install free EV charger on pole
You’ll soon be able to take advantage of a similar scheme from Seattle City Light (SCL). This is if you live in Seattle or its surrounding suburbs. It can be used by residents to ask that EV chargers be put on utility poles near their homes.
Drivers of electric vehicles that lack off-street parking for charging will benefit from this scheme.
The question of whether or not to charge those who live in apartments and condominiums is hotly debated. Many older buildings may not have the capacity to install EV chargers in their parking spaces without a significant investment in upgrading their facilities. Putting in conduits may be a costly proposition.
Some people disagree about where the chargers should be placed, how long people should be allowed to use them, and what to do about drivers who park conventional cars in front of them or refuse to move their electric cars after charging so that others can evaluate the equipment. Many of these problems are addressed by public EV charging.
A public electric car charging station can be erected in front of a resident’s home or residential property if they live within the city’s boundaries. Next year, the first installations are planned to begin.
The following kinds of properties are acceptable for submission to City Light: All properties with single-family homes, such as detached houses, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses and other housing units.
Requests for off-street parking must come from homes that do not have it (like driveways or garages).
Apartments, condos, houseboats, and mobile home parks are all examples of properties with five or more units that are used as multifamily housing.
Level 2 EV chargers
The Level 2 EV chargers will be installed, owned, operated, and maintained by Seattle City Light. According to the business, anyone who drives an electric car may park right next to the charger and charge it.
They are first-come, first-served for the charges; they can’t be reserved.
Installed under this scheme, Level 2 EV chargers are capable of providing up to 9.6 kilowatts of power (kW). Thanks to the infrastructure, a typical EV can get 30 miles of range for every hour of charging time.
When a car is stored overnight at home or while the driver is at work, level 2 EV chargers are regularly utilized. The chargers will be purchased and installed at no cost to Seattle City Light.
The property owner or resident doesn’t have to pay anything to ask for or put in a public Level 2 EV charger at the curb.
To utilize the chargers, drivers must pay a per-kilowatt-hour (kWh) price. Seattle City Light’s Level 2 EV chargers will cost $0.20 per kWh in 2021. (2022 fees will be released at a later date). A typical electric vehicle (EV) can go more than three miles on a single kWh of power.
The fees pay for electricity, operations, maintenance, and repairs. Some of the costs of buying and installing are also covered.
As of 2008, Seattle’s transportation emissions were 83% higher than they were in 2030. Using public transportation, cycling, walking, and other low-emission modes of transportation, residents may do much of this.
Seattle City Light
However, personal automobiles will be used by many on some journeys. Seattle City Light is putting these chargers in place as part of a larger portfolio of transportation electrification investments and services to help the area it serves switch to electric vehicles with no emissions.
City Light will use an opt-in procedure to choose charging spots. Residents can ask for a charger to be put in front of their homes if the area meets the program’s requirements.
City Light will choose the places that best meet the goals of the Transportation Electrification Strategic Investment Plan for fairness and the environment based on criteria that have already been set.
The utility won’t do it if more than half of the nearby property owners don’t want a charging station to be put in a certain place.
The statement is vague as to whether or not the parking spaces near the pole-mounted EV chargers would be exclusively for electric vehicles. If an EV motorist wants to park next to the charger, it doesn’t say if they have to plug in or not. These are details that, presumably, will be addressed in the future.
It’s not uncommon for parking conflicts to arise amongst residents in urban areas. Many residents in Boston were irate when others parked in their freshly cleaned parking spots after a recent snowstorm. To dissuade intruders, they rearranged the furnishings in the areas that had been vacated.
Foreseen Challenges
Gunfire was exchanged on one occasion, and fistfights erupted around the city. Finding a parking spot in the city may bring out the worst in people.
For the new EV chargers, City Light has produced a set of comprehensive standards that outline how charging places should be set up. Here are the highlights, rather than go into all the technical details (you can always visit the site yourself if you want to learn more).
In order to have a pole-mounted charger installed, you need to either have or intend to have a battery-electric car in your driveway within the next 12 months. If “battery-electric” refers to plug-in hybrids, it isn’t apparent.
If they don’t reside there, or if they are the manager or owner of the property, they can’t participate. Otherwise, the property owner must sign off on it.
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A homeowner’s association or the owner of the property must consent to the request if they are not the owners of the property in question. Those of you who live in condos are well aware of the potential for heated HOA meetings.
Any existing bike lane, transit lane, or any present or future usage that the charger might obstruct or prevent must be avoided. On a case-by-case basis, the utility will make that judgment.
Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations may also be rejected from poles that currently house heavy equipment, such as transformers and the like. The pole-mounted chargers are only suited for certain locations, and the firm will make that determination.
Then, there’s one more item to add. After March 15, 2022, all new buildings in Seattle will be required to contain EV chargers as part of their design. That’s a good point.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Providing apartment and condo residents with access to Level 2 chargers is a major step forward. Thanks to Seattle City Light, some people will be able to participate in the electric-vehicle revolution that was previously unavailable to them.
Perhaps other utilities will follow suit with similar programs as a result of this one. They are, after all, a company that specializes in selling electricity. They have a strong motive to grow revenue, and installing public charging infrastructure is one method of doing so.
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