Green Transportation Program

What is electric vehicle supply equipment?

Electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) provides electricity to the EV charger—the part that plugs into the EV charging port. The speed of charging is a function of how many amps the EVSE can deliver, how fast the vehicle can store the energy, and the vehicle’s battery capacity.

What are the levels of EV charging?

• Level 1 (120 V AC): Best suited for use with plug-in hybrid vehicles or other very light-duty vehicles with smaller batteries. Requires a standard outlet protected by a 15- or 20-amp circuit breaker with a ground fault interrupt.
• Level 2 (240 V AC or DC): Best suited for use with EVs that are usually parked for 2 to 4 hours at a time. Utilizes a dedicated circuit protected by a circuit breaker rated for at least 40 amps. Mostly used in AC mode, but some applications for DC power are available for vehicles that can only accept DC power, such as some electric school buses.
• DC Fast Charger (usually 480 V DC): Typically used for 20 to 50 minutes at a time and can deliver an 80% charge in that time.

How long does it take to charge vehicles?

A handy resource for this information for light-duty vehicles is the Clipper Creek charging schedule.

Are state agencies required to install EV supply equipment?

RCW 43.19.648(5) directs agencies to install electrical outlets for charging EVs in each of the state’s fleet parking and maintenance facilities, to the extent practicable.

Are Level 2 chargers available under the state contract?

Yes. A variety of chargers are available through the state contract for EVSE (04016). At the state’s request, a dual-port Level 2 charger was recently added that can simultaneously charge two vehicles on dedicated lines. Less expensive options may be available outside of the state contract.

How do I decide between charging equipment options?

Level 2 charging is usually sufficient to meet fleet needs. Besides the power level choice, charger features may include timers, access controls, data collection, multiple ports and charging levels, ability to collect fees and, in some cases, advertising.

How can I find charging stations?

Many websites and smartphone apps provide charging locations, pricing, and availability, such as:

• The EV Charging Station Locations feature on the DOE website lists charging locations by geography, ownership type, charge levels, and payment systems.
• The Alternative Fuels Data Center at the DOE lists 2,593 public charging stations in Washington.
• PlugShare, a user-generated site that invites drivers to add locations and alerts other drivers when equipment is nonoperational.

Washington resources

• State contract for EV supply equipment - WA Dept. of Enterprise Services, provides information on the statewide contract for EVSE under Contract # 04016
• Charging Station Installation Information – WA Dept. of Commerce, EV Charging grant
• EV Charging Basics - WA Dept. of Commerce, EV Charging grant
• Terms to Know

Federal resources

U.S. Dept. of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center

EV Charging Stations
Procurement and Installation for EV Charging Infrastructure
Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Trends
EV Charging for Multi-family Housing
Workplace Charging for EVs
Charging EVs in Public

As you work to identify state, federal, and utility financing opportunities to support EVSE procurement or hardware installation:

• Have a scope, timeline, and budget ready to go for when you find the right opportunity.
• Include any innovative elements or features that would make your project stand out in a grant competition.
• Connect with your electric utility to learn if your site has an adequate power supply for the EVSE you anticipate needing as you add EVs to your fleet. Keep these costs in mind when looking and applying for funding.
• Synchronize EVSE build-out with vehicle arrival. These projects can take 3 to 36 months.
• Consider shared purchase resources like Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing or the Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle Purchasing Collaborative.
• Save time by referring to state contracts for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (Contract # 04016) and Motor Vehicles (Contract # 05916) provided by the WA Dept. of Enterprise Services.

EV charging is categorized by charging speed and power levels, and alternating current (AC) versus direct current (DC). The power delivered by utility equipment through transformers to buildings is AC. The batteries in EVs store and deliver power as DC. AC power, common for moderate-powered charging, must be converted to DC using the vehicle’s onboard charger. DC fast charging (DCFC) equipment supplies DC power directly from the utility service to the vehicle batteries, bypassing the on-board charger.

Charging Network Options & Load Management addresses:

• Charging speed
• Charging ports
• Charging specifications

The table provided here includes details to consider when planning to increase the number of vehicles that can share a single charging port. At first, it may be easiest to plan for one vehicle per EVSE port, but as facility staff gain experience with EVs, greater vehicle-to-port ratios will be more efficient.

The choice of non-networked or networked charging equipment typically balances the needs at each site with costs of equipment, software, and employee time. You can use telematics equipment attached to each vehicle or a networked charging system to gather data about the new EVs and charging systems.

The information provided here addresses:

• Non-networked systems
• Networked systems
• Telematics
• Load management
• Smart breakers
• Bidirectional, V2G, V2X, or V2B charging
• Open Communications Protocol (OCP)

Estimate the power demands for your new EVs to identify the number and types of charging stations you will need for each location. Power demand is based on each vehicle’s duty- and drive-cycles and the levels of charging required.

Estimate Power & Charging Station Needs addresses:

• Things to consider
• How much electricity will you need to charge the new EVs?
• Calculate the charging load profile

Determine Where EVSE Should Be Installed addresses the need to:

• Determine charging station locations and layouts
• Assess power capacity
• Employ best practices

Contact your utility when you have preliminary plans for adding EVs and charging equipment to your facility. The utility may have an EV customer specialist who can address technical questions, confirm the new electrical usage estimates, or explain if they have programs or incentives to support fleet or workplace charging.

Questions to ask your utility

• What is the time of use (TOU) rate structure, demand charges, or EV tariff in your territory?
• Are there other fees and costs?
• What are expected service upgrade costs?
• Is a commercial customer education program available?
• What are the costs and timing of utility shut-down during construction?
• Do they offer a set fee for pre-paid or bundled utility or construction permits?
• Will your utility:
  • Help minimize rates and fees?
  • Look for site features that require additional panel, transformer, electrical distribution line, or substation upgrades?
  • Address applicable building codes and permitting processes?
  • Discuss your installation plans and layout?
  • Provide insights about customer-side energy management, power sharing, operation, or ownership models that have worked at other public sites?
  • Identify capacity limitations at the location?

Future-proof your plans

When looking at the electrical capacity at a site:

• Consider additional EVs that might be added at this location, including additional charging stations you might want to add in the next five to seven years.
• Discuss these possible plans with utility representatives to see if you can save on costs by including work now that will be useful for future expansion.
• Continue to update the preliminary charging site layout, project budget, and timeline. Include the number of EVs that will be added to the fleet, and their makes and models.

Nothing prohibits or requires state agencies to charge an EVSE use fee for visitor or employee charging. At the same time, RCW 43.01.250 encourages EV use by expressly authorizing the purchase of power at state expense to allow charging by visitors and commuting employees. What is not clear is if “commute vehicles” refers only to vehicles enrolled in commute trip reduction programs, commute vehicles not enrolled in an official program but serving more than one employee, or any EV used for commuting by state employees.

The RCW is silent on the responsibilities of local governments to provide charging. Many local governments have decided that not charging a fee for employees or visitors is a “gifting” of public funds. Some allow free use of EVSE for an introductory period and others allow EV charging at no additional expense over standard parking fees. For employees, providing charging in dedicating parking spots for a flat fee with an automatic payroll deduction may be the simplest approach.