Assessment summary and purpose

1. 
   ASSESSMENT SUMMARY AND PURPOSE: the scope and purpose of this effort includes the following:
   
   1. 
      The geographic area served by our coalition includes the entire State of Maine.
      
   2. 
      The area focused on for this assessment effort consists of the Cities of Portland, South Portland and Westbrook.
      
   3. 
      Independent of the fact that this is a required deliverable for the 2011 coalition support contracts, this assessment is necessary so that our region can determine the current status of, and potential for, use of electric vehicles (EVs), Plug-In Hybrids, and implementation of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), continue our planning efforts and eventually implement a comprehensive strategic plan to promote EVs, Plug-In Hybrids, and implement EVSE in our region.
      

2. 
   PAST & CURRENT PLUG-IN VEHICLE IMPLEMENTATION: the history and current status of plug-in vehicle implementation in our coalition area includes the following:
   
   1. 
      The Greater Portland region’s past experience with EVs and plug-in electric vehicles dates back to the 1990’s when funding was made available from the Vermont Department of Public Service (VDPS) through its “Northern Region Thermal Management Technology Project”. Participants included: the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Maine Department of Transportation, the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company, Central Maine Power Company, the American Automobile Association of Northern New England, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the Center for Environmental Enterprise, the Maine Turnpike Authority, Maine Science and Technology Foundation, and F.L. Putnam Investment Management Company.
      

Also during the 1990’s, Greater Portland METRO operated three, small electric buses. This was a pilot project at the time, given the limited range of the technology and the cold weather applications here. As other transit properties in the east began to sell off their electric buses, METRO bought five more used EV’s making it the largest fleet of electric buses in the northeast for a short time. The EV program was phased out when METRO turned to CNG buses. The comingling of the two technologies on one site was deemed unsafe.

In 2009, the Sierra Club of Maine organized a number of theater showings across the state of the film, “Who Killed the Electric Car”, as part of their climate change initiative in support of EVs focused on lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Currently, Central Maine Power (CMP), the utility for the Greater Portland region is embarking on three EV pilot programs. The pilot programs stem from a stipulation agreement reached with CMP, approved by the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) for the approval of a major transmission line upgrade CMP is building. As part of the agreement, CMP is required to implement at least three pilot projects aimed at increasing the use of plug-in hybrid and EVs.

The first pilot program entails CMP testing a variety of electric vehicles in its fleet. This includes the company’s participation in an Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) program with partial funding from the U.S. Dept. of Energy testing the use of PHEV passenger vehicles in a utility fleet. The company is also pursuing separate purchases of additional PHEV and PEV vehicles, including passenger cars, an all-electric light-duty van, and PHEV light-duty bucket trucks using electric drive for the Power Take-Off for bucket operation, and heating and cooling in the passenger compartment. The company has already taken delivery of several PHEV sedans for its operations in Maine and New York, and expects to receive one or more PHEV bucket trucks in late 2011.

The final pilot program has not been fully developed yet either but could focus on working with a third party to develop charging infrastructure in their service territory, develop an electric vehicle charging rate structure, develop rebates for the implementation of charging stations, sponsor educational workshops and work with the stakeholder group to further advance the use of plug-in hybrids, EVs and EVSE.

2. 
   The perspective of the three local governments in the study area on EVs and plug-in electric vehicles is very supportive but there is no planning or work underway on their part to promote these vehicles or EVSE in their communities. However, the local governments do realize that this technology is on its way to Maine and are interested in working with our stakeholder group and want to stay informed as work progresses.
   

The perspective of the Greater Portland Council of Governments is one of very strong support both for the vehicle technologies and the deployment of needed infrastructure.

The perspective of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, or the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System (PACTS) is one of strong support. Specifically, the PACTS regional long-range transportation plan Destination Tomorrow (DT) supports EVSE and the general promotion of EV use.  The DT Plan has a Policy on Environmental Quality and Energy Conservation:

“Make transportation improvements that use more energy efficient transportation options, low and non-polluting modes such as transit, and/or reduce harmful pollutants associated with transportation. Protect and improve the human and natural environments including natural and cultural resources, air and water quality, and prepare and be proactive for the most likely impacts of climate change.”

There are currently no regional, local or statewide plans related to electric vehicles in the state.

3. 
   Currently, there are no public/private partnership activities that have occurred or are planned related to EVs, plug-in hybrids and/or EVSE.
   
   1. 
      In the future, if such a partnership is established, Maine Clean Communities, Central Maine Power, environmental organizations, car dealers, car manufacturers, and local governments and businesses should be involved. Maine Clean Communities could and should be the lead organization.
      
   2. 
      Currently, we have no role as a public/private partnership has not yet been established, but we could work to establish one. One possibility is establishing such a partnership with CMP as part of one or more of their pilot programs but it is likely that we would not be the lead in this case.
      
   3. 
      It is not clear what the possible extent of our coalition could be in such a partnership but we could work to be included and possibly lead the partnership if possible.
      
   4. 
      There is currently no leader and no effort established at this time.
      
   5. 
      Our local utility, CMP is not yet a Clean Cities coalition member but CMP is part of our EV Stakeholder group. We intend to follow up with CMP about being a coalition member and will continue to work with them in the stakeholder group.
      
4. 
   There is currently no existing public EVSE infrastructure in the Greater Portland Region.
   
5. 
   No education, outreach or training activities have been held since the 1990’s as referenced above. A workshop on electric vehicles, organized by Maine Clean Communities, is planned for fleets to be held in the fall of 2011.
   

3. 
   ASSESSMENT OF PLUG-IN VEHICLE IMPLEMENTATION POTENTIAL: the potential for plug-in vehicle implementation in our region is as follows:
   

1. 
   Currently, the only EVs or plug-in hybrid available in our region is the Chevy Volt. However, it is possible to get on a waiting list to purchase other vehicles now either through dealers or on some companies’ websites. Nissan will introduce their EV, the “Leaf” in Maine in the summer of 2012. Mitsubishi will introduce their EV“I” car in Maine in the spring of 2012. Toyota’s plug-in hybrid “Prius” will be available in 2012. The Chevrolet “Volt” plug-in hybrid just became available in Maine. However, Chevy dealers are only being allotted a few cars at a time and pre-ordering is recommended. One local dealership in South Portland will be receiving four vehicles and three are already pre-sold. There will be two charging stations built at the dealership. The Portland Honda dealer does not know when their fuel-cell EV, the “FCX”, will be available in Maine. The South Portland Ford dealer expects to receive their Ford “Focus” EVs in 2012.
   
2. 
   We know of two EV charging stations that are currently in the Bar Harbor region, but we do not know who owns them. We do not know of any new infrastructure that is being planned, however we have been contacted by a few businesses that are contemplating the idea and we will continue to communicate with them and provide informational resources to them if they plan to proceed.
   
3. 
   There are currently no local or state incentives for electric vehicles in Maine or the Greater Portland Region. Since there are no incentives, their effectiveness cannot be assessed.
   

The stakeholders in the area that are most likely to adopt plug-in electric vehicles include “early adopters” such as hybrid owners and owners of converted EVs as well as utilities, fleets, and businesses who are looking to reduce their fuel costs.

As mentioned previously, our discussions with the local utility, CMP, identified their plans to purchase several EVs. They had hoped to acquire their bucket trucks in 2011 but due to delays in availability, they will receive them in 2012.

In order to communicate directly with the over 700 current hybrid car owners in our target area, we developed a survey questionnaire in order to gauge their future plans, current attitudes, support for state incentives and barriers they face in purchasing and owning a plug-in electric hybrid or EV. A cover letter about the EV project was sent through the mail to addresses acquired from the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles showing valid car registrations from the last two years. The letter directed the participants to take our survey on-line. In addition, we sent out an email to our Maine Clean Communities email list of over 400 interested individuals asking them to also participate in the survey. 122 people responded to the survey. (See questionnaire and survey results below in Appendix I.)

According to the survey results 4% of respondents said they plan to purchase a plug-in hybrid or EV sometime in the next year, 17% said one to two years from now, 35% said three to five years from now, 13% said they do not plan on purchasing such a vehicle, 19% said they were unsure and 13% percent had a different answer under the heading “other” that included responses such as when their current hybrid needs to be replaced, when charging stations are available, and when prices decrease, among others.

For the hybrid owners only, of which there was a total of 105 respondents, 3% of respondents said they plan to purchase a plug-in hybrid or EV sometime in the next year, 18% said one to two years from now, 35% said three to five years from now, 14% said they do not plan on purchasing such a vehicle, 17% said they were unsure and 13% percent had a different answer under the heading “other”

On a scale of 1-10 the average value response to the question, “how interested are you in purchasing a plug-in hybrid or EV as your next vehicle?” was a 6.73 for purchasing a plug-in hybrid and 5.18 for purchasing an EV. Results from current hybrid owners only was a bit higher with an average value response of 6.87 for interest in purchasing a plug-in hybrid and 5.40 value response for interest in purchasing an EV.
Additionally, in response to the question whether the respondent is currently on a waiting list to purchase a plug-in hybrid or EV, three-percent said yes, ninety-two percent said no, four-percent said no, but would like to be, and one-percent answered that they were unsure. For hybrid owners only, the response was four-percent currently on a waiting list, ninety-percent not on a waiting list, five percent no but would like to be and one percent not sure.

We also spoke with Wayne Krauth, a member of our stakeholder group and an early adopter who has converted one gas vehicle to an EV and is currently converting a second. He has also taught a class at the local community college about how to properly and safely perform a conversion. Wayne’s original reason to go with an electric vehicle has not changed since 2008 when gasoline hit $4.00 a gallon. He wanted to reduce his gasoline consumption and stop paying money to the oil companies.  He chose to build his own electric cars because there were none available in Maine. His main selection criteria in choosing to purchase an electric vehicle in the future include the following:

a) ability to go highway speeds (as opposed to a low speed EV of 35 mph or less); 

b) sufficient range on a single charge to enable commuting and other local trips, 40-50 miles per charge minimum; 

c) reasonable cost;  

d) available for sale in Maine.     

Wayne reached out to other folks in Maine who have completed conversions but was unable to obtain responses.

4. 
   The best locations for future public charging stations include public and private parking garages and lots, airports, shopping areas, entertainment centers, government centers, convenience stores, hotels, rest stops near the freeway, existing gas stations, transit hubs and car-sharing locations. These locations are the best places because they attract large numbers of people. Locations should vary according to the level of EVSE installed. For example, direct current only requires 15-30 minutes for a full charge, so a location such as a gas station or convenience store would be appropriate. For Level II EVSE, other locations such as those listed above would be more appropriate where charging would typically be expected for one to four hours.
   

The Cities of Portland, South Portland and Westbrook are contiguous with the typical distance of trips ranging between three and ten miles apart. The above data and the distances between the communities, shows that the three cities in the Greater Portland region included in our study area have short commute distances and times and would be good places for EVSE as these communities are a good fit for the current range of plug-in hybrids and EVs.

5. 
   Please see attached maps in Appendix II and following list that shows recommended locations and addresses for potential EVSE infrastructure. (There is currently no existing EVSE infrastructure located in the Greater Portland Region.)
   

The top seven locations for EVSE infrastructure in the region include the following (in no particular order):

• 
  Idexx Laboratories
  
• 
  Westbrook City Hall
  
• 
  Maine Mall
  
• 
  Portland City Hall
  
• 
  Maine Medical Center
  
• 
  South Portland City Hall
  
• 
  City of Portland’s Garage