In this three-part Electric Vehicle Blog Series, Rob McAtee, Director of Energy and Sustainability at Mason & Hanger, will provide guidance on the planning and installation of charging Electric Vehicles as we work to become a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
In December 2021, the current administration established Executive Order (EO) 14057 on catalyzing clean energy industries and jobs through federal sustainability, along with The Federal Sustainability Plan. With the objective to reestablish the Federal Government as a leader in sustainability, the policy aims to help transition the Nation to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. The EO sets an ambitious goal to deliver an emissions reduction pathway consistent with the current administrations target of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emission (GHG) by 50–52 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In response to EO 14057 and other mandates, federal agencies must soon begin purchasing electric fleet vehicles in lieu of ones fueled by gasoline or diesel. Additionally, government employees are increasingly buying electric vehicles (EV), a trend expected to accelerate due to their desire to reduce the negative effects of the pollution from the burning of fossil fuels. To facilitate this transition, federal installations must provide some means of charging government-owned (GOV) and privately-owned (POV) electric vehicles.
A detailed study is required for any facility considering the installation of charging equipment and associated infrastructure. In Part 2 of this series, we provide numerous tips and best practices accumulated from recent electric vehicle projects at federal facilities. However, before design and installation, it’s worth taking a step back to assess the actual near-term (0-5 year) need.
Here are important factors to consider when making your assessment:
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Government Vehicles: Current federal mandates require that new purchases of GOVs are electric, beginning in 2027. This does not mean that 100 percent of government vehicles must be electric by 2027. Many, if not most GOVs, will continue to have gas engines long after 2027.
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Consumer Electric Vehicles: Even though the number of privately-owned electric vehicles will increase, these vehicles will have relatively large batteries, and most won’t require charging every day. It will be much cheaper for most owners to charge at home.
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Additionally, each charging station can generally accommodate two charging sessions per day. This means that for every hundred electric vehicles in a parking lot, fewer than 25 charge ports may be able to provide ample charging on any given day.
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Supply/Demand of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Remember that electric vehicles and associated charging stations are relatively new. This means there is relatively limited data on what charging demand and patterns will look like once electric vehicle penetration is more than, say, 30 percent of a site’s total fleet and POV count. The stations themselves are getting more sophisticated while at the same time decreasing in cost as competition increases. Installing hundreds of charging stations today might miss the mark based on actual usage in five years’ time.
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Vacant Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Consider that excessive, unused parking dedicated to electric vehicles may breed resentment, especially if installed in prime parking areas and/or if total parking spaces are limited. There’s no need to make employees disgruntled on their way into the building every day.
Thinking Ahead
As this monumental policy was introduced, many facilities and government agencies entered a state of uncertainty. Our suggestions are intended to encourage a thoughtful, and planned rollout of integrating a few charging stations today, budgeting and designing for the longer term—rather than delaying in the hopes of delivering a major project that will serve forecasted needs for the next 20 years. With the deadline in mind, detailed planning and a gradual introduction with incremental changes that follow the markets and adoption, will ultimately be a more practical and efficient approach, also helping the bottom-line.
Click here the next part of our Electric Vehicle series, where we deep dive on best practices for design of charging stations at federal installations.
Figure 1 - Providing more charging stations than will be reasonably used can lead to resentment, especially if installed in premium spots and parking is limited. (Photo Courtesy from the University of Houston)
