In early 2013, the CEC awarded grant funding of $75,000 to AeroVironment Inc. to supply and install level 2 electric vehicle supply equipment installations, also called charging stations, at each of two Young Men’s Christian Association facilities in San Diego for use by the associations’ members, the public, and to support Car2Go operations. However, this association subsequently decided to withdraw participation from the program because of the requirement to allow non-member access (i.e., public charging and Car2Go operations). The contract was then modified to install electric vehicle supply equipment at two hotels in San Diego for use by hotel guests, Car2Go customers/operations, and the public.
After an extensive search for hotel sites for the electric vehicle supply equipment installations, Extended Stay America applied to participate under the program. AeroVironment Inc. sub-contracted with local electrical contractors to perform the installation work. electric vehicle supply equipment installations were performed from December 2015 to January 2016. Car2Go, initially in negotiations with Extended Stay America to allow Car2Go fleet customers to use the stations, made a drastic change in their fleet, moving from electric vehicles to gasoline-powered vehicles. The program was then simplified to allow for access to hotel guests and the public.
Governor Brown’s Executive Order B-16-12 directs the state government to support and facilitate the rapid commercialization of zero-emission vehicles in California, with a target of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on California roads by 2025.
The primary goal of the project was to expand electric vehicle adoption in a particularly difficult sector for installation of electric vehicle infrastructure: multi-unit dwellings—in this case hotels were chosen for their long dwell-time attribute. The qualification process was lengthy because hotels had to be within the Car2Go service territory, have sufficient non-gated parking, and sufficient power availability.
The project exceeded its goals with the installation of eight electric vehicle supply equipment installations, four at each of the two Extended Stay America hotels. The project, in future years, will result in an estimated greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 11-metric tons annually and displacement of approximately 1,800 gallons of gasoline annually. It also expands public electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the City of San Diego.
