Los Angeles Adds 288 Electric & Plug-In Hybrid Electric Cars To Fleet

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on September 11 that the city will lease 160 electric cars for use by the city’s police, fire, and general services departments and the Department of Water and Power. Garcetti said the move will give LA the largest pure EV fleet in the nation, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In addition, the Department of Water and Power and the General Services Department will lease 128 plug-in hybrids. Garcetti said the 288 cars would save taxpayers money and advance sustainability goals. Earlier this year, Garcetti released the Sustainable City pLAn designed to make the city more sustainable and deliver environmental and economic benefits. The announcement comes on the eve of the US-China Climate Leaders Summit to be hosted in LA on September 15–16.

“When we laid out our sustainable city plan … we promised that 50% of new city fleet vehicles purchased each year would be EV by 2017,” Garcetti said. “Now we’re fulfilling that promise ahead of schedule.”

A hundred of the battery-electric vehicles will be dedicated to the LAPD and will be used by detectives, investigators, and administrative employees. The LAPD is also being loaned a Tesla Model S P85D and a BMW i3, which were on display outside police headquarters on Friday. Those vehicles will be used for testing and research by LAPD technical experts to determine how the technology can support future needs.

“You can see right here behind me, the future,” Garcetti said, gesturing toward the Tesla and BMW. “Our goal is to one day go from gas-powered to battery electric in our squad cars. And if we do that, the impact could be national in scale. LA could once again the lead the way to help transform not just our department, but other departments and cities around the country.”

“I think that today, this announcement, will trickle across the nation as a challenge to other cities, other police departments, other fire departments to look at what you’re doing and to take a step that makes a change for the positive,” Chief Beck said. “Great day for policing, great day for the city. Proud to be an Angeleno.”

The Potential Future Of Four Cities With Autonomous Cars

By some estimates, autonomous cars will become a part of daily life as soon as 2030, especially around major urban areas where this technology holds the most promise. But not every city may benefit in the same way, with one study suggesting several scenarios where autonomous cars either alleviate traffic congestion, or make it many times worse.

Fast Company reports that the study, entitled Reprogramming Mobility, takes a look at four major urban areas and what impact autonomous cars might have on the citizenry. Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston, and New Jersey were the focus of the study, though the scenarios presented are more a “What if” than a “This is what’s gonna happen” sort of situation. With that said, let’s start with the utopian scenario set in the gem of the South.

Atlanta: A Driverless Utopia

With a major Google outpost and few natural barriers to expansion, Atlanta presents the perfect autonomous scenario. Google aims to be a major player in self-driving vehicles, and Atlanta could end up being a test bed of self-driving technology wherein all autonomous vehicles are speaking the same language. This will lead to the development of public-private “G-roads” for self-driving vehicles only, and residents will be able to hail an autonomous car to their destination and ride it home without ever putting their hands on the wheel.

Georgia is also a major hotbed of solar power adoption, and Google’s integration with many smarthome features mean automated vehicles could easily be worked into the search giant’s technology ecosystem. Google will also attempt to develop autonomous public transit and freight solutions around it’s Atlanta base, and could even make the case for a complete rework of the national infrastructure around autonomous cars. This is the ideal scenario, and could change the way we approach transportation completely.

Boston: Walking Beats Driving Anyday

But while Atlanta has basically unlimited room to grow and a major private driver of technology, Boston is an old city crammed on the coast with a well-defined downtown. Bringing autonomous driving technology to these streets isn’t like, though the city could become a hotbed for the young and the restless who want to live in a thriving downtown setting.

This will lead to a rise in walking and bike-sharing, with public transit picking up the slack. Meanwhile deliveries are made in the dead of night when most of the city is asleep to keep congestion levels to a minimum during rush hour. Some people may commit to buying small urban EVs for personal transportation, though car-sharing and light rail becomes the default means of taking longer trips outside the metro area.

New Jersey: Bad Weather and Smart Buses

Here is where things start to get messy, as the Garden State is predicted to take several blows to the chin from major hurricanes and other storms over the next decade and a half. This will cripple Jersey’s infrastructure initially, but could convince the government it’s time to invest more heavily in public transportation. Smart, possibly fully-automated transit buses and dedicated busways will join existing rail services to give commuters a wider variety of options for getting into and out of the New York metro area.

The system is paid for by an algorithm that predicts demand and sets seat pricing accordingly and leads many young people to skip over car ownership in favor of the shiny new transit system. That said, it will come at the cost of billions in property damage and destroyed lives as the Jersey coast is pounded by one devastating superstorm after another. Things will get worse before they get better in this scenario.

Los Angeles: Driving Hell Just Gets Hotter

Finally we get to the doomsday scenario which takes place in America’s most-congested city, Los Angeles. Despite the rise of autonomous cars, many older drivers refuse to be driven by robots, and automakers develop different vehicle languages that lead to an incomplete and imperfect system of self-driving vehicles. Instead of cooperating, automakers compete to become the autonomous driving standard, leaving the transition to autonomous cars hanging in limbo.

Furthermore, increased reliance on self-driving cars could lead to increased pollution and urban sprawl as people think less of living an hour or more from their place of employment. It’s basically a worst-case scenario, though one that is easily avoidable with a little cooperation and smart public policy. Keep in mind these are merely proposed scenarios, and the future of self-driving vehicles is still wide open.

But it does give one something to think about.

Over half of all EVs in America are in these five cities

If someone were to tell you that electric vehicles are popular in Los Angeles, there's no reason to be surprised. Same thing with San Francisco and New York City. But if someone were to tell you she had collected a list of the top five EV cities in the US, which would round out the list? The picture above is a hint, if you recognize the skyline.

We'll string out the answer just a little bit by first telling you that the data comes from R.L. Polk, according toEV World, and it was Anthony Pratt, R.L. Polk's director of forecasting-Americas, that shared the data earlier this month up at the annual Management Briefing Seminars, in Traverse City, MI. If you add up the plug-in vehicles sold or leased in the five cities, you find that they make up 52 percent of all the EVs in the US. The reasons, Pratt said, are good charging infrastructure and local EV incentives like HOV lane access and tax credits.

Okay, fine, we've made you wait too long. Here's the list: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, and Atlanta.

News Source: EV World

LA finally gets public DC fast charger for electric vehicles

Well, it's about time!

The city of Los Angeles just had its very first electric vehicle DC fast charger installed – an ECOtality Blinkcharger public station that can fill up a compatible EV to roughly 80 percent full in 30 minutes. It was unveiled last week in downtown L.A.'s Arts District, across the street from several restaurants. The crowd cheered as the fast charger was introduced and LA City Councilmember Jose Huizar paid tribute to the contribution the fast charger will make to the city. Other notables in attendance were Chris Paine, director of the films Who Killed the Electric Car? and Revenge of the Electric Car, and Paul Scott, co-founder of Plug In America and who is now in charge of Nissan Leaf sales at Nissan of Downtown LA. When the project's developer, Yuval Ben-Zemer, noted that he could have put gas stations where these chargers now stand, the crowd cheered.

The fast charger is sitting next to a ten Level 2 chargers in the downtown LA parking lot. These increasingly common chargers take as long as six to eight hours to fully recharge a completely depleted battery, making the fast charger much more appealing for drivers in a rush. Fast chargers are slowly being installed alongHighway 5 in Washington and Oregon, but this is the first one in Los Angeles. Why would that be? Good question.



Source: Autoblog Green

LA Mayor Villaraigosa Announces Electric Vehicle Pilot Program

PRESS RELEASE

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, LADWP General Manager Ron Nichols, and environmental leaders announced today an LADWP pilot program that will provide rebates of up to $2,000 to the first 1,000 LADWP customers for home chargers and installation costs for their electric vehicles.

"Los Angeles is leading the nation in cleaner, greener transportation solutions," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "By offering significant rebates for home electric chargers, we hope to make electric cars more cost-effective than gasoline powered vehicles for Angelenos."

Yesterday, the Board of Water and Power Commissioners approved the Electric Vehicle Home Charger Rebate Program – Charge Up LA – to ease the financial burden for residents who want to install a rapid (Level 2) charger at their home for qualifying electric vehicles. Beginning May 1, 2011, the LADWP's goal is to stprovide rebates for 3,000 to 5,000 EV home chargers.

The LADWP will track the EV charging patterns to ascertain where to allocate resources for potential energy growth. By monitoring charging patterns, the LADWP can guard against straining the grid.

As gas prices continue to rise, EVs could become a better economic value for LADWP customers. Compared to regular gas-powered vehicles, the "fuel" cost of an EV is about equal to $1 per gallon.

The range of the rebate will depend on the type of charger and the related equipment installed by the customer. To qualify for the rebate, customers must participate in LADWP's Residential Time-of-Use Rate, which provides a significant discount for electrical use during "off-peak" hours-weeknights and anytime on weekends.

During these "off peak" hours, EV owners will not only save money – they will take advantage of renewable energy from wind power. By charging at night – the peak hours of wind power and production – owners will maximize renewable wind power and will also ease the strain on the electric grid.

"We expect most of our customers to charge their electric vehicles at night and the result is a double win for the environment," General Manager Ron Nichols said. "We generate electricity with renewable wind power, and we store that renewable energy in car batteries that then powers Angeleno's cars during the day."

The rebate program is part of an overall strategy by the City to ensure that Los Angeles is EV ready. At the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, the Mayor announced a program to help residential customers within the City of Los Angeles go from permit to plug-in for home electric vehicle chargers under 7 days, provided the customer's electrical system can support the charging requirements.

Components of LADWP's EV strategy include:

EV Infrastructure: LADWP will upgrade the 86 existing City of Los Angeles owned public chargers. LADWP plans to invest in additional new public chargers after existing ones are upgraded. LADWP will also encourage private owners of older style chargers to upgrade to the new standards.

Data Sharing: LADWP is coordinating with major EV charger vendors to share data regarding EV purchases and driving patterns that will help determine locations for new chargers. LADWP is also developing a standard agreement with charger vendors to meet conditions of the U.S. Department of Energy's "The EV Project," aimed at bringing more federal grant funds to the city.

Public Information: LADWP has established a website, www.ladwp.com/EV, for comprehensive one-stop information on the rebate program, installation and permits, rate discount and meter options.

Regional Collaboration: LADWP is collaborating with regional agencies, industry, various jurisdictions and other electric utilities to foster a seamless driving experience throughout the region.

Power Grid Upgrades: EV driving patterns and charging data will be used to help forecast and prepare the electric grid for energy growth related to EVs. The information will also support LADWP's Smart Grid Demonstration Project.

EV Discount: LADWP offers a 2.5 cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) discount to residential customers who charge their EVs during off-peak hours when demand for energy is lowest (nights and weekends). The discount is available to customers on LADWP's Residential Time-of-Use Rate, who already benefit from reduced rates during off-peak hours.

Customer Service: A team of LADWP Customer Service Representatives has been trained to answer questions and assist customers with the charger installation process. For direct assistance, customers may call 1-866-484-0433 or email PluginLA@ladwp.com.

To download an application or for the EV Home Charger Rebate and other information, visit www.ladwp.com/EV.

This is the Mayor's latest initiative to transition Los Angeles away from relying on dirty diesel to be the cleanest, greenest City in the country. In March, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to ratify a new pilot program to add 30 electric buses to the fleet. After a careful evaluation of whether electric buses do in fact save money and are more efficient, the city will implement the program on a larger scale – setting a national precedent.