The Department of Conservation and Development and the Department of Public Works are collaborating to prepare grant applications for these programs.
In May 2015, the BAAQMD released a call for projects for the “Charge!” grant program. “Charge!” is an incentive program that offers grant funding for the installation of electric vehicle supply equipment (“EVSE”), or electric vehicle charging stations, at Bay Area transportation corridors, workplaces, multi-family dwelling units (“MDUs”) and trip destination locations.
Applications are currently being accepted and the deadline is 4:00 PM, Friday December 18, 2015, unless funds are exhausted sooner. This program is funded through the Transportation Fund for Clean Air (“TFCA”) Regional Fund, which provides grants to improve air-quality within the nine-county Bay Area by reducing criteria emissions from on-road vehicles.
The goal of the “Charge!” Program is to rapidly expand access to Plug-In Electric Vehicle (“PEV”) charging stations in order to accelerate the Bay Area’s adoption of PEVs and ultimately to achieve the region's PEV deployment targets of 110,000 PEVs by 2020 and 247,000 PEVs by 2025. An initial allocation of $5 million in TFCA funding is available through the “Charge!” Program and funding will be awarded to qualifying projects on a first-come, first-served basis.
Both public and non-public entities are eligible to apply for funding. Funding amounts for each charging station/equipment range from $500 to $25,000. In addition, the Air District Board of Directors has authorized higher funding amounts for projects that are coupled with renewable energy (e.g., wind or solar) and battery storage. The maximum grant amount is based on the types of EVSE equipment.
The Air District has broken down award amounts as follows: A) $250,000 per applicant for projects that deploy Low kW DC Fast Charge, Level 2 and Level 1 equipment, and B) for applicants who proposed projects with DC Fast Chargers. For applicants proposing projects with DC Fast Chargers, the maximum funding limit is increased to $600,000 per applicant, however any additional funding requested above the $250,000 limit may only be used for the installation of DC Fast chargers.
Electric Vehicle Charger Demonstration
The Electric Vehicle (“EV”) Charging Station Demonstration Program (“Program”) is open and applications are currently being accepted. The deadline to apply is 4:00PM, Thursday, October 8, 2015. This is a competitive grant solicitation, and the Air District anticipates funding between two and five projects.
The Program will provide up to 90% of total eligible costs for the installation of new, publicly-available EV charging stations along major transportation corridors, at workplaces, and at key destinations. Funds for this project will be awarded through a competitive grant application process whereby applicants who request lower grant amounts per ton of emissions reduced will be scored higher. In addition, the Program prioritizes projects that are “shovel-ready,” incorporate renewable energy, help to expand the region’s charging network, and located in Air District designated Community Air Risk Evaluation (“CARE”) Program areas .
Proposed Project
The County Public Works (“PWD”) and Conservation and Development (“DCD”) Departments are collaborating on the grant application and proposed project. The project consists of installing EVSE at various County buildings that would be accessible by employees and members of the public. Installing EVSE at County buildings will contribute to the overall Bay Area’s adoption of PEVs and ultimately help achieve the region's PEV deployment goals of 110,000 PEVs by 2020 and 247,000 PEVs by 2025.
PWD staff will meet with building managers to survey the prospective sites and evaluate feasibility (e.g. electrical capacity, existing parking infrastructure) and cost of providing EVSE. Another consideration for departments will be up-front costs since these grant funds are allocated as a reimbursement. Depending on the cost of EVSE and any necessary site retrofits, it may be necessary for departments to subsidize (which could be considered part of the match requirement) the installation of EVSE. The list of prospective sites will be narrowed down based on feasibility. Once the list of prospective sites has been finalized, maps will be prepared to accompany the grant application. Project implementation will commence shortly after the Air District has accepted the application. The grant program requires that projects be implemented and operational within 12 months of being awarded grant funds.
These programs provide incentive funding on a reimbursement basis after all station equipment has been placed into service and all expenses have been incurred and documented. Therefore, applicants must demonstrate that they have adequate funds from a non-Air District source to cover all stages of their proposed project(s) from commencement through the end of their project’s life. In addition, applicants must demonstrate that they have available and are ready to commit all necessary matching funds from a non-Air District source of funding. Maximum award amounts for “Charge!” and the Electric Vehicle Charging Station Demonstration Program are $600,000 and $650,000, respectively. One project cannot be funded by both programs.
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