Title
Approve and authorize the Contracts/Purchasing Officer to:
a. Execute three proposed Grant Agreements Between the Transportation Agency for Monterey County for Ownership and Transfer of Electric Vehicle Charging Station (hereinafter “Grant Agreement”) which requires contributions of $2,500 per charging station and includes non-standard Insurance, Indemnification, and Limitation of Liability provisions; and
b. Take all steps necessary to implement the Grant Agreements, including payment of networking fees of $20 per charger per month with SemaConnect.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Approve and authorize the Contracts/Purchasing Officer to:
a. Execute three proposed grant Agreements Between the Transportation Agency for Monterey County for Ownership and Transfer of Electric Vehicle Charging Station (hereinafter “TAMC Grant Agreement”) which requires contributions of $2,500 per charging station and includes non-standard Insurance, Indemnification, and Limitation of Liability provisions; and
b. Take all steps necessary to implement the Grant Agreements, including payment of networking fees of $20 per charger per month with SemaConnect.
SUMMARY:
The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (“TAMC”) entered into a grant agreement with Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District (the “District”), whereby TAMC and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 234 (“IBEW”) have agreed to install at least seven electrical charging stations throughout the county, in an effort to reduce greenhouse gases and promote alternative means of transportation.
Under the terms of the proposed TAMC Grant Agreement, the County would receive three(3) electric vehicle charging stations for installation on County property and accept the assignment of an agreement with SemaConnect (the provider and operator of the charging station), in exchange for a contribution of $2,500 each for installation, and agreement to do the following:
• Allow public access and use of the charger for at least five years;
• Provide access to TAMC of data collected from each charger (indicating usage and usage patterns) for the lifetime of the charger; and
• Pay networking fees ($20 per month per charger) to SemaConnect for the last four years of the TAMC Grant Agreement (the first year of networking fees is waived).
After the initial five years of networking, the County is free to renegotiate fees with SemaConnect. The installation will be done by a qualified contractor selected and approved by the IBEW, thus insuring prevailing wages.
The County of Monterey has already taken steps to promote the use of electric and hybrid vehicles. In 2013, the Board approved the installation of an electrical vehicle charging station at the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office and a charging station exists at the County Government center.
DISCUSSION:
The County has taken several steps toward the reduction of greenhouse gases in recent years. Electric vehicles are a significant contributor in the fight to reduce greenhouse gases. One of the current limitations with electrical vehicles is the lack of publicly accessible charging stations, which is why the District and TAMC, together with the IBEW, have put together grant funding to allow for the installation of EV charging stations throughout the County.
The terms of the grant are basically as follows: a “Recipient” (here, the County) agrees to allow an EV charging station to be installed on its property and to allow the public to use the station. The station will be owned by the Recipient but operated by SemaConnect, which was selected by the District and is one of the largest developers and producers of commercial grade networked Level II EV Charging Stations and management software in North America. The Recipient provides a relatively nominal amount ($2,500 per station) as a contribution to the costs of the station and its installation, and agrees to use the charging station for at least five years. The first year’s cost of operation is waived and the Recipient agrees to pay $20/month ($240/year) per station for the remaining four years of the commitment. At that point, rates can be renegotiated. The Recipient also agrees to allow TAMC to access the networked data from the charging station, so that TAMC can analyze and report on the data.
The TAMC Grant Agreement and the related SemaConnect agreement contain terms that are considered “non-standard” when compared to the County’s Standard Agreement. For example, there is mutual indemnity between the County and TAMC under the TAMC Grant Agreement. However, the terms of both the TAMC Grant Agreement and the SemaConnect agreement are typical of grant agreements and software/networking agreements generally. As such, the Department considers them to be acceptable in light of the purpose to be served in encouraging the use of electrical vehicles and in light of the risks associated with the project.
Two stations will be located at Shillings Building and one will be located at Natividad Medical Center. The value of the station and installation is estimated at $7,000 ($4,500 for the charger itself; $2,500 for installation). While there is the possibility of ultimately charging users for the cost of the electricity, the current intent is to allow free access to promote the use of electrical vehicles until such time as more charging stations are available and a competitive market can be established.
The County is exempt from any permitting fees and existing electrical service panels will be used to connect the charging stations. Electricity cost will be absorbed by the hosting building and are minimal.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers entered into an agreement to reduce significantly the initial costs of ownership of electrical vehicle charging stations. Risk Management did not approve these agreements because of the non-standard terms.
The Natividad Medical Center (NMC) concurs with the recommendation and in a cooperative effort Natividad Medical Center (NMC) has agreed to provide a suitable location for one of the chargers and provide funding.
FINANCING:
The total cost of the three charging stations is $7,500 ($2,500 each). Networking fees of $240 per station per year will begin years two through five. NMC has agreed to reimburse the Fleet Department for the cost of one station and networking fees located at NMC.
Funding for the remaining two stations ($5,000) of the charging stations are included in the budget for Fleet Services FY 2015-16 (001-105-8451-CAO25). The $250 yearly networking fee per station will be included in subsequent budgets.
Prepared by: Dennis Scamardo, Fleet Manager, 4984
Approved by: Mike Derr, Contracts/Purchasing Officer, 4992
Attachments:
1. TAMC Grant Agreement- Transfer of Ownership NMC
2. TAMC Grant Agreement- Transfer of Ownership Schilling Annex
3. TAMC Grant Agreement-Transfer of Ownership Schilling
4. MCUAPCD Electric Vehicles Grant Agreement No. 11-04
5. SemaConnect Agreement
6. TAMC-IBEW Agreement