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As detailed below, the third quarter of 2018 (Q3 2018 or Q3) was focused on securing real estate and
preparing for construction of Electrify America’s electric vehicle charging stations, including receiving
the first permits issued for Electrify America sites in California. The marketing team deployed a brand-
neutral education and awareness campaign, while the Green City Initiative launched its programs.
Finally, Electrify America nearly concluded its National Outreach effort as part of its Cycle 2 planning
process in preparation for the submission of the California Cycle 2 ZEV Investment Plan on October 3,
2018.
Electrify America publishes this quarterly report to share the progress and impact of its Cycle 1
investments in California.
2.1 Introduction
As laid out in the Cycle 1 California ZEV Investment Figure 1 - California Infrastructure Map
Plan, Electrify America intends to develop a network
of electric vehicle charging stations along highly
traveled highways and in six carefully selected
metropolitan areas during Cycle 1 (see Figure 1). The
planned network in California will consist of more
than 600 DC fast charging dispensers at
approximately 160 charging station sites. In
addition, Electrify America will build approximately
1,500 charging stations at workplaces and multiunit
dwellings in its six target markets. The network will
deploy cutting-edge technology to deliver customer-
centric charging to consumers safely and
conveniently, and it will connect California to the
Electrify America national network in 40 other
states.
Second, it hired highly qualified and experienced “turnkey” vendors to deploy and maintain charging
stations at workplaces and multiunit dwellings.
These strategies allowed Electrify America to move forward quickly in partnership with existing industry
leaders. Electrify America anticipates that 35% of its business-driven investments within California will
be in disadvantaged or low-income communities.1
Using dedicated internal staff and external real estate experts, Electrify America took steps to secure
licenses and leases from site hosts for the 10-year period of the ZEV Investment Commitment in each of
its target zones during Q3 of 2018. In each target zone, Electrify America considers multiple real estate
leads, based on their unique attributes, such as availability of three-phase power, site lighting, and
access to customer amenities. To acquire high-quality sites, Electrify America has entered into master
agreements with 25 large-scale real estate owners that provide access to sites nationwide,2 as well as
site host agreements with owners of desirable individual properties across California. (In 2017, Electrify
America considered an average of seven real estate leads for each target zone.)
Within each target zone, specific sites are identified for further desktop analysis and then onsite
assessments. Electrify America then validates the installation specifics with the local utility and property
owner through a site walk and discussion. Throughout the site acquisition process, Electrify America
1 Electrify America uses definitions for low-income and disadvantaged communities established by the State of California, which
are published and mapped by CARB on its “Disadvantaged and Low-income Communities Investments” webpage:
https://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/capandtrade/auctionproceeds/communityinvestments.htm
2 Electrify America previously announced real estate partners including Simon Property Group, Walmart, Target Corporation,
Brixmor Property Group, Kimco Realty Corporation, Sheetz, Inc., Casey’s General Stores, Inc., DDR Corporation, and Global
Partners LP’s Alltown.
4 Third Quarter 2018 Report to California Air Resources Board
works closely with 14 electric utilities in California to determine efficient locations from a grid
perspective with the lowest service connection costs for Electrify America.
The final step in the real estate process is to sign an individual lease with the property owner. Although
many viable options may exist, ultimately, only one site will be leased or licensed within each target
zone. In Q3 of 2018, leases or licenses were signed in 26 target zones, bringing the total number of
target zones with signed leases to 97. Second quarter progress in real estate acquisition can be seen in
Figure 2. Electrify America will continue to secure sites in the 4th quarter, and Electrify America currently
projects that it will be able to secure leases or licenses for all stations planned during Cycle 1.
Electrify America strives to ensure that 35% of its business driven investments are in low-income or
disadvantaged California communities. In keeping with these efforts, Electrify America strove to ensure
that 35% of potential California sites in all stages of the site acquisition funnel – site identification,
qualification, validation, and lease execution – were located in low-income or disadvantaged
communities. In Q3 2018, Electrify America was able to exceed 35% among identified, qualified,
validated, and lease executed DCFC station sites in California.
In order to build Electrify America’s stations, Black & Veatch is utilizing a deep and experienced pool of
subcontractors throughout California. Furthermore, in order to expand the pool of subcontractors and
5 Third Quarter 2018 Report to California Air Resources Board
experienced workers, Electrify America has worked with Black & Veatch to invite new, qualified local
companies to participate in project bids. For example, as a result of this outreach in Greater Los
Angeles, new electrical contracting firms, including those who employ unionized electricians, have been
subcontracted to help build a significant number of ultra-fast EV charging stations, thereby expanding
the pool of local subcontractors qualified to gain future business. As station construction proceeds,
Black & Veatch will monitor the quality and timeliness of the work by its subcontractors in order to
ensure that all stations are built to Electrify America’s extremely high standards. Electrify America
anticipates that Black & Veatch will likely consider the performance of its subcontractors when awarding
new subcontracts associated with additional Electrify America stations in the future.
In Q3 2018, Electrify America and Black & Veatch made progress designing DC fast charging stations in
California and continued the permitting process (see Figure 3). Although Electrify America obtained its
first 13 permits in California during Q3, the permitting process for EV charging stations in California took
on average 56 business days, which is nearly twice the national average. Electrify America has obtained
more than ten times as many permits outside of California as it has obtained within California, and
Electrify America considers permitting delays and costly station changes resulting from permitting
processes to be the largest threat to meeting the Cycle 1 California ZEV Investment Plan commitments
on time and on budget.
Figure 3 - California Site Infrastructure Construction Tracker
To address this challenge, Electrify America reached out to California state agencies, including the
Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBIZ) and the California Legislature, to
communicate concern that some local jurisdictions are not complying with A.B. 1236’s requirement that
all jurisdictions establish a specific EV charging station permitting process that is “timely and cost-
effective,” and that permits can only be denied if a health or safety issue has been documented. Thanks
to engagement from the Governor’s office and Electrify America’s direct engagement with local
jurisdictions, improved EV station permitting processes were established in some jurisdictions, including
Sacramento, Los Angeles County, and Rocklin.
Electrify America greatly appreciates the commitment to improved permitting demonstrated by the
Brown Administration in Q3, and strongly supports and encourages continued State-level engagement
In Q3, Electrify America also dedicating substantial resources to this challenge. Electrify America
relocated its National Construction Manager from Virginia to California, shifted project management
personnel from other parts of the nation to California, opened a California office, and leveraging
Government Affairs staff to meet with jurisdictions all over the state. Electrify America reached out to
more than a dozen jurisdictions to discuss permitting challenges before permit applications have even
been submitted, in order to discuss A.B. 1236 requirements and identify areas of local concern in the
station design stage.
Despite these efforts, Electrify America had to cancel planned stations during Q3 in a few jurisdictions
due to onerous requirements and lengthy permitting timelines that could not be met within Cycle 1
timeframes and budget requirements, reducing charging services in these communities.
3 Idaho National Lab, DOE, and DOT refer to power levels of 350 kW because the limit of the standard is currently 350 amps
multiplied by 1000 volts, or 350kW. Comments from OEMs and experts during the Outreach Plan process have led Electrify
America to believe that the next generation of vehicles will be designed to go up to 920V. As such, the actual range delivered
per minute will depend on the vehicle, as vehicles govern the power level accepted. This estimate assumes the vehicle being
charged can travel approximately 3.5 miles per kWh.
4 Neither liquid-cooled cables nor 350 kW charging has ever been deployed commercially in the United States. As a result,
Electrify America leased a small space for equipment quality control and validation in 2017.
7 Third Quarter 2018 Report to California Air Resources Board
Metro charging stations will feature configurations of either three or six chargers, reducing queuing
times and providing redundancy in high-utilization urban areas. Consistent with Electrify America’s
commitment to deploying ultra-fast charging, Electrify America has chosen to upgrade up to 70% of
planned 50kW Cycle 1 metro chargers to 150kW power. This power increase will offer consumers
maximum charging speeds almost three times faster than initially planned.
Electrify America DC fast charging sites will support both the CCS Combo and CHAdeMO connectors. To
maximize the ability of customers to use chargers regardless of which charging network they have
joined, Electrify America plans to offer credit card and debit payment at all DC fast charging stations,
creating an easy customer experience that is the primary goal of most interoperability efforts. Electrify
America will equip all DC fast charging using the CCS standard with ISO 15118, which enables smart
charging functionality in 2018 and beyond. Finally, all DC fast charging stations will be networked.
5Electrify America Press Release. “Designing and Deploying more than 2,000 Ultra-Fast Electric Vehicle Chargers across the U.S.,
Electrify America Selects ABB, BTC Power, Efacec and Signet as Charging Equipment Suppliers” April 17, 2018.
https://www.electrifyamerica.com/downloads/get/744520
At the end of Q3 2018, Electrify America’s vendors had identified 1,235 leads in L2 target zones, and had
qualified 776 leads as meeting key station site criteria. Vendors acquired 36 new sites in California in Q3,
bringing the total to 64 acquired sites. The first three stations were operational in California in this
quarter. Both the timeline to convert leads and the conversion rate did not meet projections during the
quarter. In response, Electrify America continues to take mitigation actions to expedite the site
acquisition process, and the three vendors leveraged extra sales resources, including new employees, to
increase the pace. Electrify America is managing this program closely in an effort to get the program
back on schedule. Chargers installed under this program will be networked and interoperable with the
Electrify America charging network.
Each of the vendors is contractually obligated to install 35% of their overall station quota in low-income
or disadvantaged community census tracts, and Electrify America must approve every station location to
ensure this contractual term is being met. At the end of Q3 2018, more than 35% of qualified and
acquired leads and two of three operational sites were in a low-income or disadvantaged communities.
3.1 Introduction
The goals of Electrify America’s Green City Initiative are to increase ZEV awareness, provide ZEV access
to underserved, low-income and disadvantaged communities, increase use of ZEV technology to
maximize ZEV miles traveled while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and test the economic viability
of ZEV access initiatives (see Figure 6).
Figure 6 – Green City Goals and Impacts
In Q3 2018, the Green City Initiative
continued implementing programs in
three investment areas: ZEV car share and
ride-hail services; fleet services, including
ZEV shuttle/bus; and charging
infrastructure.
With two unanimous votes in Q3, the Sacramento City Council set the stage for GIG to provide their free
float car share model. In July 2018, the Council adopted permit fees for car share parking and EV
charging spaces to provide cost certainty to this program. In August 2018, the Council set eligibility
criteria and requirements for any car share operator seeking special parking privileges in the public
right-of-way, as established in the City of Sacramento’s Car Share Framework Terms and Conditions.
Subsequent to the August approval, GIG ordered a fleet of 260 Chevy Bolts to begin operationalization
of the car share program.
3.3 Infrastructure
Electrify America continued site acquisition efforts to purpose-place charging stations in Sacramento to
support Green City programs, including car share. In Q3 2018, Electrify America secured twelve leases
for station sites in the Sacramento region. Electrify America is focused on finalizing permitting, design,
and initiating construction for the DCFC and L2 infrastructure.
10 Third Quarter 2018 Report to California Air Resources Board
In Q3, the Envoy service was busy identifying Sacramento properties and multi-unit dwellings to host the
round trip car share service and L2 charging stations. The vendor signed 30 locations to Mobility Service
Agreements and, alongside their L2 infrastructure contractor, conducted site walks and initiated design
and permitting processes. The first dual port L2 unit was installed at Creekside Village located at 6465
Village Centre Drive.
Since the launch of the campaign, Electrify America has measured the success by the following metrics:
The “Jetstones” commercial proved popular and was ranked the 5th most talked about TV ad on
social media.6
Awareness:
o 41% of all plugintothepresent.com sessions originated in California
o 67% of website traffic accumulated from paid search, indicating targeting has been
successful
Engagement:
o Online users spend on average 1 minute 27 seconds on the plugintothepresent.com
website, with the incentive section being the most visited section of the website
In Q3, Electrify America made a commitment to match up to $2 million for the nonprofit organization
Veloz’s “Electric for All” campaign in California. Furthermore, to amplify the “Electric for All” campaign,
Electrify America added the campaign tagline to the end of its “Jetstones” commercial. To date, Electrify
America has invested $515,600 in Veloz. Thirty-five percent of the contribution to Veloz supports low-
income and disadvantaged communities.
4.2 Partnerships
Electrify America has committed $2-3 million to develop multiple collaborations with entities with
particular access and credibility within California’s disadvantaged and low-income communities.
This effort will raise awareness that ZEVs can affordably meet most consumers’ needs today.
Considerable evidence demonstrates that the gap between the perceived and actual affordability of
6
Desreumaux, Geoff, “This Week: The 10 Most Talked About TV Ads on Social,” Wersm. August 19, 2018. Accessed
October 8, 2018. https://wersm.com/this-week-the-10-most-talked-about-tv-ads-on-social-25/
12 Third Quarter 2018 Report to California Air Resources Board
ZEVs appears to be significant, and this gap presents a meaningful opportunity for an effective, targeted
education effort.
More than 75 nonprofit, private, and public entities from across California were invited to submit
proposals for this solicitation, including organizations suggested by CARB staff, and an explanatory
webinar was conducted in June. In Q3, Electrify America conducted a competitive review of proposals,
and awards to multiple entities are expected in Q4.
Over the past year, Electrify America has made a huge effort to engage with stakeholders throughout
the ZEV adoption space to understand opportunities to increase ZEV adoption in California (Figure 8).
In January 2018, Electrify America opened a national outreach website to solicit specific information for
Cycle 2 planning. The request for input provides an opportunity for governments, organizations, and
13 Third Quarter 2018 Report to California Air Resources Board
others to assist Electrify America as it updates its analytical models, evaluates new technology and
public policy developments, tracks evolving consumer expectations, and explores the value of new
allowable ZEV Investments. To assist in drafting the Cycle 2 ZEV Investment Plans, Electrify America
specifically sought the following types of input:
Electrify America advertised the submission period in California newspapers, reached out directly to
hundreds of government staff and elected officials throughout California, and held multiple webinars to
explain the process and answer questions from government stakeholders.
1. Start from the basics: Analyze both business fundamentals (e.g., highway and metro) and new
business opportunities.
2. Actively engage external stakeholders: Collaborate with stakeholders throughout planning process
to strengthen thinking.
3. Emphasize real world inputs: Leverage operational data, evidence, and customer-backed research
to make data-driven decisions.
In September, dozens of California stakeholders received in-person or telephone briefings on the key
components of the plan, to ensure the Electrify America was responsive to input.
The submission of our plan to CARB begins a public process to review whether the plan meets the terms
and goals of the 2.0L Partial Consent Decree. We believe the Cycle 2 investments will meet and exceed
these requirements, providing a technologically-advanced and customer-centric network of ultra-fast
charging stations to the people of California and addressing a series of emerging needs.
As a result of the eight month delay in investment at the beginning of Cycle 1, Electrify America
substantially compressed its timelines for building DC fast charging stations in six California metro areas.
Electrify America has rapidly accelerated the site acquisition and station design processes, and all
stations are currently scheduled to be completed and commissioned by the end of Cycle 1. Electrify
America is firmly committed to making every effort to meet these compressed timelines. However, the
schedules do not include buffer periods to accommodate for unexpected delays. As a result, delays
outside of Electrify America’s control and not in Electrify America’s schedule, such as permitting delays
and extended utility interconnection processes, have the potential to push Cycle 1 metro DCFC station
completion and commissioning into the second half of 2019. If work to complete these stations must
extend into the second half of 2019, the stations will be funded with Cycle 1 budget as approved by
CARB in the Cycle 1 California ZEV Investment Plan, and the investments are not expected to materially
impact the Cycle 2 budget.
In the event that any investments planned in Cycle 1 cannot be fully funded through Cycle 1 budgets
(e.g., if actual costs exceed forecasted costs), those investments will be completed using Cycle 2 funding.
Two of three L2 stations operational during Q3 2018 were located in disadvantaged or low-income
communities.
Electrify America also conducted targeted radio and television advertising in low-income and
disadvantaged communities. Targeted census tracts are listed on the following pages.