Electric Parking: Low Usage at Lot Y Spaces

Some of the comments on the original post about taking 10 regular parking spaces in Lot Y just south of B'way and creating 8 electric vehicle-only charging spaces noted low occupancy (often no occupancy) of these new spaces.  I've noticed the occasional EV getting juice there, but not too often--and only once have I seen three EVs at the same time.  That motivated me to get the early usage figures from the City and the vendor, EVgo, so we can establish some sort of baseline.  I fully understand that some innovations take time to get to widespread use--the question is how long, if ever?  So here are the January 2020 figures (i.e. 31 days):

312 Charging Sessions

5.2 Megawatt Hours of charging delivered

Equates to ~1,350 miles of electric driving

Doing the math:  10 charges per day for 8 spaces is our baseline…1.25 charges per space per day.  Again, these things can take time, but I sure hope things improve otherwise we should turn at least a couple spots into EV-optional access until usage ramps up.

Comments

[resident]

Not a very auspicious start..................

[Charged Up]

Since the city is OK with taking away public spaces for the very special few electric vehicle owners did they demand electric spaces in that massive piece of s&*t development on Carolyn? Or does it not have any parking to begin with? It looks like a giant block of Lego gerbil cages but at least it could have a ton of Tesla charing stations for all the Fakebookers.

[[email protected]]

I have seen this topic come up a few times @ BV. Electrical Vehicles are so far away from becoming 1% of the US Autos, by the time this "tech" becomes available, there be something better.
I bet these cars were placed by a Burlingame Auto Dealership.

[EVolatile]

2 are not electric. It is a feel-good solution gone amok. Bad Government decisions again. You need to toss out Emily and Michael ASAP.

[BMW]

Chalk up another bullet point to the City's list of "significant accomplishments" in 2019. Empty again this morning.

"Are electric cars worse for the environment?
Crunch the numbers, and it looks like all those subsidies might be counterproductive."

"Based on the EIA’s projection of the number of new electric vehicles, the net reduction in CO2 emissions between 2018 and 2050 would be only about one-half of one percent of total forecast U.S. energy-related carbon emissions. Such a small change will have no impact whatsoever on climate, and thus have no economic benefit.

So, if electric-vehicle subsidies don’t help the environment, what—or who—do they help? Most electric-vehicle buyers are far wealthier than average Americans. A nationwide survey in 2017 found that 56% had household incomes of at least $100,000 and 17% had household incomes of at least $200,000. (In 2016, median household income for the US as a whole was less than $58,000.) So it’s fair to say the subsidies disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor, who cannot afford to buy even subsidized electric vehicles or live in their own homes to take advantage of residential chargers or solar panels.

Not only that, the wires and charging stations needed to charge all those electric vehicles will be paid for by all ratepayers, further raising electric rates. And as more wealthy customers install solar panels to charge their electric vehicles, the costs to provide them back-up power will fall on those who cannot afford to do so.

In effect, the wealthy owners of electric vehicles will enjoy the benefits of their clean, silent cars, while passing on many of the costs of keeping their vehicles on the road to everyone else, especially the poor."

https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2018/05/15/are-electric-cars-worse-for-the-environment-000660

[[email protected]]

Why do we accept lies?
These E cars benefit No One.

I'm sorry hollyroller but the rest of your comment is so far off-topic that it has been edited out.

[Just Visiting]

You do love your conservative economics opinion writers. Not surprising, just be aware of your confirmation bias.

[[email protected]]

OK, I guess.

[Joe]

Just Visiting, that bias cuts both ways. Is there something in BMW's comment that can be factually disputed or are you just shooting the messenger?

And in other news about a county parking structure:

Cost of the new 1,022-space county parking structure in Redwood City at Veterans Boulevard and Middlefield Road has climbed to $58 million — reflecting the market for Bay Area construction and sustainability features such as electric vehicle charging stations, the county says.

**** that comes out to $56,750 per space***

https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/price-for-new-county-parking-structure-climbs-to-m/article_48fd508e-6020-11ea-bfa2-b72de71310a1.html#utm_source=smdailyjournal.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1583593205&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline

[[email protected]]

Is that a one time cost?

[Joe]

Interesting piece in the WSJ over the weekend about who controls the charging stations:

Some charging firms argue utilities shouldn’t be given monopolies on car charging, though they might need to play a role in connecting rural customers and building stations where they would otherwise be uneconomical.

“Maybe the utility should be the supplier of last resort,” said Cathy Zoi, chief executive of charging network EVgo Services LLC, which operates more than 800 charging stations in 34 states. (Joe's note: EVgo is the Burlingame supplier on Lot Y. Nice of them to stick the rural stations on the utilities)

Utility charging investments generally are expected to raise customers’ electricity bills, at least initially. California recently approved the largest charging program by a single utility to date: a $436 million initiative by Southern California Edison, an arm of Edison International. The company said it expects the program to increase the average residential customer’s bill by around 50 cents a month.
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Usage at Lot Y is still tiny. I go by there at least four times a week and it's mostly empty. Almost time to get the actual usage from the city again. I'll just give it a couple more weeks of more Covid-as-the-new-normal usage before I ask.

[Handle Bard]

It's a good thing the fire station on California is close by

U.S. safety regulators this month opened a probe into more than 77,000 electric Chevy Bolts made by General Motors Co after two owners complained of fires that appeared to have begun under the back seat, where the battery is located.

Ford Motor Co. said last week it is delaying the U.S. introduction of its Escape plug-in hybrid after fire concerns surfaced this summer in similar vehicles sold in Europe.

Also, in recent weeks, Hyundai Motor Co. and BMW AG have initiated world-wide recalls to address problems with battery fires in plug-in models.

The lithium-ion batteries in electric cars are similar to those found in consumer electronics, which store large amounts of energy relative to their size. But to power an automobile, there needs to be more of them, and the demands are higher, creating a unique risk.

“When they do fail, they bring a lot more to the party, so to speak,” said Nick Warner, principal at Energy Storage Response Group LLC, an energy safety and testing firm in Columbus, Ohio.

While fires can occur after crashes, many of the recent incidents are notable for involving electric vehicles that were parked when the fire broke out.

For instance, one Chevy Bolt owner told federal regulators the vehicle was plugged into a charger in the driveway when the blaze started, according to the complaint posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.

Look out for smoke on Broadway