This report describes how the Department of General Services, Office of Fleet and Asset Management upgraded nine legacy paddle-type inductive electric vehicle charging stations at the state garage in Sacramento, using $39,427 in grant funds from the California Energy Commission. Match funding from the Department of General Services of $375,083 was used to purchase ten Nissan Leafs for the fleet rental pool. These upgraded, contemporary Level 2 charging stations now support the latest plug-in electric vehicles being acquired by the Department of General Services and rented to state employees for daily business trips. This project is demonstrating how electric vehicles can meet state business needs, thereby bolstering support for widespread adoption. This project is also assisting state government reduce its petroleum consumption and helping to curtail greenhouse gas emissions.
Between March and August 2013, the nine new charging stations provided through this project have logged 632 charging events for over 14,553 hours. Since the Department of General Services acquired the electric vehicles for the rental pool in late December 2012, the vehicles have amassed 14,346 miles. According to fueleconomy.gov, this has resulted in displacing 588 gallons of regular gasoline, when compared to a 2012 Chevrolet Impala using regular unleaded fuel. This equates to lowering greenhouse emissions by 5.2 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). As an added benefit, this project is demonstrating the value and feasibility of communal charging stations that support both fleet and employee electric vehicles via synchronized access. The significance of a shared use strategy cannot be overstated in light of two Executive Orders issued by Governor Brown in 2012: B-16-12 and B-18-12. One public policy accelerates the integration of battery electric vehicles in state government, while the other policy promotes battery electric vehicle adoption by state employees and the public by making charging stations readily accessible at state buildings. Sharing limited charging resources is fundamental to expanding electric vehicle acceptance in California.
