Among the factors to consider when planning a charging infrastructure: How many hours per day do electric vehicles need to be charged on a Tier 2 charger versus a Level 3? How flexible is fleet charging strategy? Should the charger be used separately or shared?
Photo: Martin Romjue / Bobit
Simplicity defines the second nature of electric vehicles. They are easier to drive, maintain and monitor than internal combustion engine vehicles.
Not so with charging and networking devices that keep them powered up and ready to go. It can get complicated.
Electric vehicles require an entirely new framework for facilities, power supply systems and pipelines, and charging arrangements. The sooner fleet managers can learn the process, the better the results.
Two experienced fleet and facility managers who each presented a clear, direct reality check on the planning and resources needed to install the right charging infrastructure suitable for a fleet of vehicles. They spoke November 12 during the Fleet Transition Conference in San Jose.
David Renschler, fleet manager for the public works division in the City of Fairfield, California, oversees the operations of 60 transit buses and 690 other vehicles including police and fire, public works and utilities. and terrain equipment. Doug Bond, deputy director of building maintenance for Alameda County, which is located in the East San Francisco Bay Area and includes the City of Oakland, oversees 121 county buildings and 5.4 million square feet of office space.
First steps and practice
Renschler starts with Lesson #1: “The last thing you want to do is go out and buy some chargers and then buy some vehicles and hope it all works,” says Renschler. The key to a successful program is lots of collaboration. You won’t do it alone. You will need a lot of partners and you will have to deal with many different agencies and departments.”
Among the macro questions: What is the ratio of the fleet of light, medium or heavy vehicles? Does an activity require a dedicated and/or shared charger? Will there be public access beyond regular fleet use?
Renschler advises fleet managers that they will also need a good consultant who has trusted sub-consultants, as no one consultant knows everything. “This is a new industry. Make sure you do a lot of research. ”
As is the case with electric vehicles themselves, the data is the ultimate decision maker. “You want good data to make good business decisions.”
Renschler pointed out 15 states and Washington, DC have both signed memorandums of understanding with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to work together on the development of hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric vehicles. It shows how fleet managers must collaborate with different stakeholders, allies, and regulators. “The fleet manager, or fleet manager, will be at the heart of all of this,” he said. “Whether it’s purchasing, engineering, planning, architects, technical training for your employees, you need to work with partners.”
One basic requirement is figuring out how to start charging vehicles with electricity, since it’s not free. The telecommunications system on the fleet vehicles cannot include mileage alone, but must collect data on run times, burn rates, weight class, parking and charge access. Fleet systems must track the energy input and output of each vehicle type and usage cycle to accurately calculate consumption and costs as well as overall efficiency.
David Renschler, fleet manager for the public works department in the City of Fairfield, California, told a session audience at the Fleet Forward Conference that the key to a successful program is working with multiple partners. because you can’t do it alone.
Photo: Ross Stewart, RMS3Digital
Question for specs
Renschler then rereads a list of questions and variables that could easily arise and must be considered:
“You also have to consider your current specifications,” says Renschler. “What are the specifications of the electric vehicles on the market at the time you prepare to bid? You have to predict what that expected cost increase will be. Can it charge on a level two or DC fast charger? Does it need both? Can it share a charger? Does it have to have a dedicated charger? ”
He added, “What is the performance per 100 miles? If we use a second level charger, what is the kilowatt rating that we can charge? What is the maximum DC fast charge for that chassis? Or that manufacturer? What is waiting? We need that information to figure out what kind of charger we’re going to buy. Do we buy a 19 kilowatt secondary charger? What if the car could only use a 7 kilowatt charger? ”
The Renschler operations team looked at the optimal and optimal charging infrastructure to estimate demand and costs: “How many more transformers do we have to order? What can we do to protect our infrastructure and chargers in the future? Does the electric utility have enough electricity on the street to power my facility? If not, do you need to find a new yard or facility and move out? ”
Among other factors and questions: How many hours a day do electric vehicles need to be charged on Level 2 versus Level 3 chargers, and how flexible is the charging strategy? Do some emergency vehicles need their own dedicated chargers to respond to emergencies at any time?
Set up a repair shop
On the transportation front, the challenge for Fairfield was to upgrade a maintenance workshop with technicians trained to handle the electric vehicles. Shops will need modifications and technicians may need to be cross-trained. But you can’t close a store so that the entire staff can be trained quickly.
Electric buses require their own safety and testing procedures, including spacing between electrical devices, charging sockets and metal infrastructure inside the store, Renschler explained. That may mean elevating the shop’s roof for proper scaffolding and lifting height.
“Make sure you develop standard operating procedures (SOPs),” says Renschler. “SOPs are super important so you can make sure everyone follows the same rules.”
Technicians will require different job classifications, depending on who handles high voltage, high amp equipment and repairs. That means navigating training, certifications, salary scales, human resources and unions, he said. Expect to spend about 200 hours training per technician.
Do you have enough strength? How many kilowatt hours will you need to charge all of your vehicles at that point, or per day, or per minute? Will you have enough space? Renschler asked.
“There are a lot of things you need in the store for OSHA as well as things you must have for the battery lab. We’ll do the warranty work for the OEM and we’ll break down the battery packs down to the module level. We’re not going to go down to the mobile level, but we’re going to go to the modular level and do in-house warranty repairs and OEM rebuilds.”
In illustrating the energy requirements of electric vehicles, Renschler compared how charging 50 transit buses during peak electricity demand requires 3 megawatts of electricity, compared with the 2 megawatts needed to power the Transamerica building in downtown San Francisco in one day. Fifty Class 8 trucks require 9 megawatts of electricity to fully charge, the same as the Empire State Building needs in one day.
Doug Bond, Alameda County vice president of building maintenance, explains how retrofitting an older building or retrofitting a newer one requires a plan designed for electrical and power panels charger so that expected power usage can be accurately assessed and confirmed.
Photo: Ross Stewart, RMS3Digital
Facilities End of electric equation
Bond explains how Alameda County has 61 EV charging stations with a total of 111 charging ports, one DC fast charger and 79 plug-in vehicles.
Just as electric vehicles can define the architecture of a charging facility, existing buildings come with their own limitations and attributes, says Bond.
Alameda County, for example, has 121 county-owned buildings, with most of the buildings more than 40 years old with aging electrical systems. Some buildings will need to be modified to accommodate the increased electric vehicle demand. In one example, demand peaked in the morning when the vehicles were plugged in and then dropped when they were fully charged.
Retrofitting an older building or retrofitting a newer one, says Bond, requires a plan designed for electrical panels and charging capacity so that projected energy use can be correctly evaluated and validated. You must ensure that there is enough electricity to be fed into a building to meet the specific requirements for the type and number of trams.
With one building, the county retained an architecture and engineering firm to send an electrical engineer to see if the location would be a good fit, Bond said.
Factors to consider when installing a charging station: Site assessment, location of charging stations and pipelines, architectural and engineering design, power availability, construction, procurement, maintenance ongoing maintenance and repair, landlord/lease terms, local permitting regulations and public access rights etc. specified fee.
Plan the time required for electrical engineering reviews and procurement approvals. Installations will require load testing during peak demand to see if additional power is needed, such as a transformer or power line upgrade.
Once approved, construction procurement can involve a variety of government agencies, rules and reviews to ensure the procurement process is in line with guidelines and rules. The conclusion of the contract must comply with the rules and ensure fair competition for bids. Processes, approvals, selections and inspections can take up to 18 months before construction begins.
Originally posted on Fleet charge
