Challenge

In order to provide EV chargers in a multifamily housing property, it is often the property owners and managers that need to be convinced. What can be done to make it as easy and inexpensive as possible to install and manage EV chargers in multifamily housing buildings?

Objectives and solutions

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Commercial EV Charger Program will provide commercial and multifamily property owners with up to four free Level 2 chargers in their buildings. These chargers are FLO CoRe+ chargers, which come with a 5-year performance warranty and a 5-year software package. Charger accessories can also be included, depending on the building’s needs.

Multifamily properties with at least five units are eligible to apply for the grant, which is not fulfilled until the properties can provide evidence that the site is ready for EV charger installation. Applicants are prioritized based on the building location and expected charger demand within the building. Ann Arbor developed a GIS map with scores that take into account the density of multifamily rentals, access to public transportation, and local EV charger availability.  

The grant stipulates certain parameters for property managers. These include ensuring the cost of charging does not exceed the cost of electricity (plus a transaction fee), allowing full public accessibility to EV chargers, maintaining 90% uptime for the chargers, and more. Building owners must allow the City of Ann Arbor to inspect the site and must report charger data to the city twice per year. After the 5-year software package and warranty expire, grant recipients will be responsible for their own software and maintenance costs.

Elements for Success

• Ann Arbor’s Commercial EV Charger Program removes financial barriers for property managers and owners to deliver a service to drivers inside and outside their complexes. 
• The program also sets safeguards that protect EV drivers by ensuring they are not overcharged for electricity. These multifamily housing residents can now pay the same rates for charging as other drivers who charge at home.

References

• Ann Arbor’s NEW Commercial EV Charger Program
• FLO Chargers Power Ann Arbor’s Commercial Charging Program
• Ann Arbor offers free electric vehicle chargers for commercial and multifamily buildings

Recap:

Charger type: Level 2 charging
Charging type: Public
Problem addressed: Access, Equipment, Cost
Solution type: Policy

The post City of Ann Arbor launches program to help commercial and multi-family property owners install EV chargers appeared first on Plug In America.

Challenge

An increase in electric vehicle adoption in cities can come with a problem—where do those new EV drivers charge their vehicles? Infrastructure projects take time, and installing EV chargers in cities is no different. Long-term solutions can be implemented, but what do EV drivers do in the short term while they wait?

Objectives and solutions

In Cambridge, EV drivers struggling to find charging solutions were given a way to temporarily meet their charging needs. Residents can apply for a permit to get a mat that covers a cord they run across the sidewalk to charge their cars on the street.

If approved for a permit, they can also get a 9-foot-tall swing arm that extends above the sidewalk. The charging cable must be connected outside and can only use 120 volts. Furthermore, the cord can be out for 12 hours a day or less and has to be removed from the sidewalk when not in use. It is important to note that this is intended to be a stop-gap solution until long-term solutions are implemented and more public charging stations become available for Cambridge drivers. 

Elements for Success

• While long-term solutions require more delicate planning and time, short-term solutions like these simply need to give drivers the tools to charge. Cambridge’s plan matches a need with a rapidly deployable solution. This specific plan comes with some restrictions, but those restrictions are worth it for the convenience of being able to charge your EV whenever you need to. 
• This policy solution recognizes the urgent needs of residents without home charging and gives them an easy and convenient solution. 

References

• Cambridge, Massachusetts legalizes sidewalk electric vehicle charging
• City of Cambridge Announces Electric Vehicle Charging Pilot Program

Recap:

Charger type: Level 1 charging
Charging type: Private
Problem addressed: Access, Equipment
Solution type: Policy

The post City of Cambridge issues permits to run extension cords across sidewalks for EV charging appeared first on Plug In America.

Challenge

While public EV chargers are often theoretically accessible to everyone, they can be located in parking garages that require EV drivers to pay entrance fees. So, how can a city ensure that everyone can fairly access EV chargers without access to a home charger?

Objectives and solutions

“Recharge Boston: Boston’s Zero Emission Vehicle Program” is an initiative in the capital of Massachusetts designed to ensure that every household in the city is within a 10-minute walk of a publicly available EV charging station. To ensure this can happen, the city is installing 250 curbside EV chargers across the city over a 2-year period. 

it’s electric and Greenspot are two private-sector companies that are installing public EV chargers in Boston to provide curbside charging at no cost to the city. it’s electric will install Level 2 charging posts, which get power from nearby private buildings. Buildings are compensated for energy usage, and property managers and owners can sign up to become property partners. EV drivers will then be able to sign up for it’s electric and receive a portable EV charging cord which can be used to charge at any of  it’s electric’s chargers in Boston. 

Greenspot will also install curbside chargers and manage its charging network free of charge for the city of Boston. It will charge drivers for electricity to generate revenue to offset the cost of installing, owning, and operating the chargers.  The average charging cost for drivers is expected to be about $0.35/kWh, and drivers can pay for the charge via a mobile application or using their credit/debit cards. 

The city of Boston keeps a publicly available map of the chargers currently available to residents, and chargers that are coming online soon, to keep residents informed and updated.

Elements for Success

• The use of surplus power from private buildings reduces the need for utility upgrades and ensures the project is replicable and scalable.
• The solution’s model ensure the plan comes at no cost to the city itself and even incentivizes property managers and owners to make extra income by providing a home base for electricity.

References

• • Boston is going big on installing curbside EV chargers
  • Curbside EV Charging
  • Recharge Boston: Boston’s Zero Emission Vehicle Program
  • Boston installing curbside EV chargers in neighborhoods, property owners make profit

Recap:

Charging cost: $0.35/kWh
Charging type: Public
Problem addressed: Access
Solution type: Policy

The post Boston to install 250 public curbside EV chargers over next 2-years appeared first on Plug In America.

Challenge

Electric vehicles can lower transportation costs and save consumers money. Still, if you live in multifamily housing and don’t have access to home charging, these benefits may be diminished by the higher cost of using public chargers. How can these EV drivers access convenient and low-cost charging options?

Objectives and solutions

The State of Vermont developed a program to subsidize charging at multifamily housing across the state. Charge Vermont is funded by the state and administered by Vermont’s largest electric utility. Essentially, this program provides free (or almost free) installation of Level 1 and Level 2 chargers in multifamily housing. It offers up to 90% of the total project cost for market-rate housing installations and up to 95% of the total project cost for projects with a minimum of 50% affordable housing units. Federal, state, and utility incentives can all be used as a match. The program was initially funded by state appropriations but is now funded by EV registration fees.

Vermont is considered the most rural state in the U.S., with almost 65% of its population living in rural areas. About 23% of Vermont’s housing is multifamily, and because Vermont is so rural, multifamily housing, including manufactured home parks, isn’t necessarily located in cities. Many Vermonters living in multifamily housing still have long commutes. Beginning in 2022, the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development recognized a need for affordable and convenient home charging access for drivers living in multifamily housing. It developed a $1 million pilot to test how EV charging solutions could work for multi-unit property owners and residents. The pilot used grant recipient interviews, cost assessments, station use reporting and analysis, and case studies to develop best practices. The pilot has increased EV charging access to residents in 28 multifamily properties, with a total of 78 charging ports contracted. More recently, the VT Legislature passed a bill appropriating $7 million for the Charge VT program based on the learnings of the pilot. 

One program requirement is to ensure that charging is distributed throughout the state, so no county can receive more than 10% of the available funding. Currently, counties with more urban areas are fully subscribed, but funding is still available in counties with more rural areas. Property managers interested in participating can fill out a simple online application form and participate in a pre-screening call. Charging equipment installers can be selected by the property manager or from a list of installation partners provided through the program. The equipment must be maintained for at least five years and must be networked equipment if the chargers are available to the general public. Equipment does not have to be networked if charging is restricted to residents only, which may keep costs lower for home charging.  

Another unique and important feature of the program is that, through a partnership with Green Mountain Power, the state’s largest electric utility and program administrator, building owners can access a significant portion of the funding incentives before they start work. This is critical for smaller property owners who don’t have easy access to capital and can make it financially feasible for them to move forward with charging projects. 

In 2024, the State Legislature passed a bill imposing additional registration fees on EVs. Unlike most states that use EV fees for road maintenance, Vermont is using these fees to fund this program, thus expanding access to charging for residents of multifamily housing. 

Elements for Success

• Incentives can be stacked with utility programs, which are widely available in other states, and federal tax credits, making charger installations inexpensive or free.
• The program leverages a utility partnership to offer the bulk of the incentive before construction begins, covering the upfront investment that often deters property managers from installing EV chargers.

References

• Charge Vermont EV Chargers for Multi-unit Residences
• Multi-unit EV Charging Incentive Program
• Affordable Homes with Equitable Access to Transportation Options

Recap

Charger type: Level 1 or Level 2
Public or private
Problem addressed: Access, cost
Solution type: Policy

The post Charge Vermont incentivizes multifamily housing property owners to install EV charging throughout the state appeared first on Plug In America.