Title
Transportation Electrification Plan
Description
Request City Council approval of the proposed Transportation Electrification Plan, as recommended by the Mayor's Ad Hoc Committee on Electric Vehicles (EV).
Report
Summary
The Mayor's Ad Hoc Committee on Electric Vehicles brought forward its draft Electric Vehicle Roadmap to 2030, now referred to as the Transportation Electrification Plan, to City Council on April 12, 2022, for review and comment. Since that time, the Ad Hoc Committee members and staff have conducted extensive outreach to the community seeking input through social media, online surveys, and public presentations. The outreach and engagement activities as of May 26, 2022, included the following:
- 36 community meetings including village planning committees, boards and commissions, employee groups, community partners, and events;
- 1,408 community survey responses in English and Spanish with 759 written comments; and
- 19,931 engagements with social media posts in English and Spanish such as likes, comments and shares.
The comments from the community and feedback received on the plan can be divided into the following five major categories:
Community Comments and Feedback Received
1) General Comments
The majority of respondents were positive and supportive of the market transition to electric vehicles with the most frequently articulated reason being that electric vehicles are good for air quality and the environment. The reason most often stated to purchase an electric vehicle was to save money on current gas prices, and there was significant interest in possible incentives that the City, utilities, and the federal government could provide to encourage EV adoption. Alongside these positive comments were concerns about declining gas tax revenues used to maintain roads. Although current forecasts are for a maximum of 15 percent of vehicles to be all-electric in Phoenix by 2030, it was suggested that in light of the growing electric vehicle market, solutions other than the gas tax are needed to support ongoing road maintenance.
2) Concern for EV Infrastructure and Workforce Development
In the community meetings, there was support for additional public electric vehicle charging stations based on concerns about the lack of current infrastructure. Some wondered if there would be lineups at charging stations in the future, while others expressed concern about the transition of car repair shops to maintain electric vehicles and how their employees would be trained. There was also a concern about the best way to incorporate EV charging in new and existing multi-family buildings. Slightly less than half of the respondents thought that users of EV charging in multi-family buildings should cover the full cost, while the remaining half thought that it should be included as an amenity similar to the gym or pool.
3) EV Equity
There were Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) recommendations put forth by the community--to include larger parking stalls in a small percentage of EV parking spaces to accommodate ADA access. There were also questions related to understanding EV equity along with requests for an equity map. In the process of outreach, a definition of EV equity was developed and defined as "increasing access to and distribution of electrified transportation options and services in a way that meets the diverse mobility needs of our communities." In response, equity considerations were added to each section of the plan.
4) EV Education and Outreach
There was widespread acknowledgment of the need for educational materials related to electric vehicles such as purchasing guides, total cost of ownership calculations, and charging basics, as well as strategies to lower charging costs. The survey results showed that 46 percent of respondents did not know a lot about electric vehicles. And during public discussions, there seemed to be limited awareness of the benefits of daytime charging suggesting a need for it to be emphasized in future educational materials.
5) Grid Capacity for Electric Vehicles
There were some general concerns about the impact of electric vehicles on the grid and if sufficient electrical capacity would be available. Out of that concern, there seemed strong support from the community to encourage "managed charging" and incentivize daytime and overnight charging. Very few members of the public seemed aware that a market transition to all-electric vehicles over the next 15 years is expected to increase regional electricity use by less than 10 percent - highlighting a need for public messaging about the resiliency of the local electricity grid.
Impact of the Community Input on the Plan
In total, there were 11 notable recommendations, summarized above, that were added to the plan as a result of the most recent community engagement. The Ad Hoc Committee met on Friday, June 3, 2022 for its last official meeting to review the final Plan and inclusion of the community input and revisions to the final recommendations.
More information is provided in Attachment A: Results of the Community Survey and Attachment B: The Proposed Transportation Electrification Plan - Final Recommendations. A Spanish translation of the plan is available on the City website: phoenix.gov/electricvehicles.
Financial Impact
The Transportation Electrification Plan includes recommendations that will require funding in future years. Those recommendations are listed below alongside staff recommendations for possible funding sources that could satisfy the majority of the Ad Hoc Committee's recommendations:
1) Add a full-time Electric Vehicle Program Manager
- Staff recommendation: This position was included in the City Manager's proposed budget starting in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
2) Launch a robust Education and Awareness Campaign.
- Staff recommendation: Coordinate this campaign through the City's EV Program Manager and supplement through further grant funding opportunities, working closely with local electric utilities.
3) Conduct listening sessions in underserved communities and launch a mobility pilot.
- Staff recommendation: The City will be hosting an AmeriCorps Vista member starting this summer to conduct this outreach in partnership with local trusted non-profit partners.
- Specific mobility solutions will depend on community input but could be met through potential City programs such as cool corridors, bike-/scooter-share, and a low-income car-share program.
4) Expand Access to public EV Charging.
- Staff recommendation: Work with regional stakeholders to apply for federal competitive grants available for EV charging infrastructure, alongside current utility rebates or other funding.
- It is expected that not all charging needs will be met through grants but that some City funds could be used to install additional charging infrastructure in future years.
5) Add 200 Electric Vehicles to the City Fleet by 2030 in line with the Climate Action Plan goals.
- Staff recommendation: City Departments and Fleet Services are planning for EVs as part of the fleet replacement cycle provided they meet business needs and are cost-competitive.
- Fuel and maintenance savings from electric vehicles will, in many cases, have lower life-cycle costs than comparable gasoline-powered vehicles.
6) Pilot the electrification of heavy-duty vehicles in the City fleet.
- Staff recommendation: It is anticipated that federal funding opportunities and other grants will provide the incremental funding necessary to pilot electric buses and other heavy-duty equipment such as electric street sweepers and waste haulers to test their performance in the City's operating environment.
7) Conduct a Citywide EV Infrastructure Analysis to determine infrastructure needs for the future City fleet, employee charging, and public charging.
- Staff Recommendation: The proposed fiscal year 2022-23 City budget includes funding to conduct this analysis.
- The Aviation Department is nearing completion of an EV Charging Capacity study for fleet, employee, and public charging specific to its facilities which can be used as a model for the Citywide analysis.
As with other City programs, all future funding needs will be brought forward to City Council for consideration irrespective of the funding source. Staff will report back to City Council periodically with recommendations for updates to the plan as progress is made and as the funding landscape evolves.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Karen Peters and the Office of Sustainability.