The City of Burbank, Department of Water and Power commenced its Electric Vehicle program in 2011 with the installation of 11 electric vehicle chargers in parking lots, mostly in downtown Burbank. Through pricing and service experimentation, and feedback from drivers, the Department created a curbside charging concept in order to expand the charger network and meet multiple charging scenarios and needs.
With assistance from a California Energy Commission grant, in 2015 the Department installed 16 curbside chargers, bringing the total number of Department-operated public chargers to 27, throughout the 17-square mile area of Burbank. The chargers are located on the sidewalk in the public right of way and adjacent to public street parking spaces.
Burbank Water and Power’s implementation of the curbside program depended on coordination with the Public Works Department for charger siting and parking space repurposing, the Police Department for enforcement, and the University of California, Los Angeles Luskin Center for optimal siting and usage analysis, and outreach to local businesses. In addition, the curbside program offers pricing and service conveniences such as off-peak pricing, retractable charging cords, and credit card payment options.
Curbside charging offers some advantages over parking lot charging, including additional usage by multi-unit dwelling residents, and for corridor travel. In addition, drivers may prefer faster Level 2 chargers over slower Level 1 chargers, but still cite charger availability and parking enforcement as a concern.
Burbank Water and Power continues to monitor usage of both the curbside and parking lot chargers, with the eventual goal of further cost-effective expansion of the charger network. The curbside electric vehicle program offers a model for charging infrastructure that is state sponsored, public agency-operated, and publicly available.
