Home charging is essential to make EVs viable for most drivers. Charging at work enables longer commutes and daytime charging aligned with solar energy production. Ubiquitous and visible publicly accessible charging stations give drivers comfort in taking longer trips and help more drivers believe EVs can work for them.
Planning
1. Use local data, tools, knowledge and relationships to plan for the scale and geographic distribution of charging needed to accommodate 100,000 EVs by 2030.
2. Create a map that highlights priority areas for multi-family, workplace, and opportunity charging.
The Shift EV Charging Infrastructure Siting Framework provides insights into priority charging areas in Sonoma County.
3. Work with planning departments, electric utilities, EV drivers, and other groups to establish siting criteria that affect the desirability of specific charging sites.
4. Conduct a survey of local EV drivers to better understand charging habits.
5. Create an online EVSE siting database that tracks key potential charging locations.
Policy
6. Establish consistency in local government policies in Sonoma County to facilitate EV charging, including for access to publicly owned charging stations.
7. Incorporate EV readiness policies into general plans.
8. Adopt policies that require or encourage Level 2 EVSE in new residential construction.
9. Develop policies and incentives to support installation of Level 2 EVSE in existing residential properties.
10. Adopt requirements that exceed CalGreen for multifamily and commercial buildings.
11. Adopt an expedited permit process for EVSE, including a permitting checklist and guidelines for residential installations.
12. Allow EV parking to count towards minimum parking requirements.
The Shift EV Policy Toolkit includes model policies for consideration.
Coordination
13. Participate in regional and state collaborations to share knowledge about EV charging infrastructure
14. Participate in state agency proceedings that affect the expansion of EV charging infrastructure.
15. Encourage utilities, charging network operators, and other third parties installing EVSE to utilize the Sonoma County siting framework and site database.
Deployment
16. Develop and implement a municipal workplace and fleet charging program.
17. Install EVSE on public sites in high priority locations.
18. Promote local incentive programs such as Sonoma Clean Power’s Clean Charge, the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District’s 3-2-1 Go Green, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Charge! Program
19. Encourage smart charging and facilitate use of renewable energy.
20. Investigate next-generation charging technologies and systems.
Education and Awareness
21. Develop and share updated siting guidance for charger installations.
22. Educate property developers about incentives for EVSE in new residential construction.
23. Promote workplace charging to employers.
24. Train permitting and inspection officials in EVSE installation.
Significantly more electric vehicle charging infrastructure is needed to accommodate existing driver needs and enable rapid growth in electric vehicles. Home charging is essential to make EVs viable for most drivers. Ubiquitous, visible, and publicly accessible charging stations give drivers comfort in using vehicles for longer or unique trips, and help the early majority believe that EVs can work for them.
Sonoma County, and the entire region, needs more charging infrastructure to support expected growth in EVs, let alone encourage more rapid adoption. The Bay Area PEV Readiness Plan forecasts the need for a range of publically accessible chargers to accommodate growth in EVs. The forecast need is framed as a range because of uncertainty regarding the behaviors and technologies that will dominate the market (i.e. longer range vehicles and plug-in hybrids may tilt behaviors towards home dominant charging). Regardless, the region needs a forecast minimum of 20,000 chargers to support the 2025 goal of 250,000 vehicles.
Drive EverGreen, from Sonoma Clean Power
3-2-1 Go Green, from the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District
The work upon which this publication is based was funded in whole or in part through a grant awarded by the California Strategic Growth Council.
The statements and conclusions of this report are those of the SCTA/RCPA and/or Subcontractor and not necessarily those of the California Strategic Growth Council or of the California Department of Conservation, or its employees. The California Strategic Growth Council and the California Department of Conservation make no warranties, express or implied, and assume no liability for the information contained in the succeeding text.
