San Francisco Bay Area gains 152 extra EV charging stations
The Bay Area Charge Ahead Project (BayCAP) means San Francisco drivers have access to an extra 152 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, scattered across 20 cities in the region. The team behind the scheme also analysed the future use of the EV stations, and discovered that "properly sited" EV infrastructure, lower prices, and well-distributed grid impacts all combine to ensure EV charging stations are well-used. Over the next 10 years, the BayCAP scheme is hoped to result in the reduction of 11 million kilograms of CO2 emissions.

Bay Area EV drivers now have access to 152 more Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations with the completion of the Bay Area Charge Ahead Project (BayCAP). The project completion was announced at a National Drive Electric Week event in Cupertino on Sept. 17. The charging stations are located throughout 20 Bay Area cities, and have been positioned in each city with the purpose of easing access to charging in public areas.

BayCAP was made possible by a pair of grants from the California Energy Commission (CEC) totaling nearly $1 million, and was developed with the support of the Bay Area Climate Collaborative, a program of ProspectSV, and the California EV Alliance.

In order to inform future EV charging station projects, the team analyzed the stations for usage based on location characteristics — time of day, day of week, and usage policies established by the site hosts. Some notable findings from the analysis include:

Public EV infrastructure receives significant utilization when properly sited.

Pricing policy has a favorable effect on usage, and current modest fees cover operating costs.

Grid impacts on average are well distributed.

“BayCAP has greatly expanded public charging infrastructure making electric vehicles the practical cost-saving choice for even more trips throughout the Bay, putting money into the local economy instead of sending it abroad, and reducing global warming pollution from fossil fuels,” says Rafael Reyes, ProspectSV, VP of Community Initiatives. “This analysis provides vital insights demonstrating the value of public charging and informs strategy for successful public charging deployment and policy.”

Based on current public charger utilization and vehicle growth rates, indications are that the new stations will likely yield significant carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions benefits. Over 10 years, the BayCAP infrastructure may result in nearly 11M kg of CO2 avoided, directly attributable to the electric vehicle miles traveled (eVMT) generated by the stations. In addition, the eVMT will yield the additional reductions in other critical pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.

The BayCAP Analysis and Lessons Learned may be downloaded at prospectsv.org/BayCAP.

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