BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1455|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 1455
Author: Kehoe (D)
Amended: 6/30/10
Vote: 21
SENATE ENERGY, U. & C. COMMITTEE : 10-0, 4/6/10
AYES: Padilla, Dutton, Corbett, Cox, Kehoe, Lowenthal,
Oropeza, Simitian, Strickland, Wright
NO VOTE RECORDED: Florez
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 8-0, 4/20/10
AYES: Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Kehoe,
Oropeza, Pavley, Simitian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Harman
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 10-0, 5/27/10
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Corbett, Denham, Leno, Price,
Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cox
SENATE FLOOR : 35-0, 6/2/10
AYES: Aanestad, Alquist, Ashburn, Calderon, Cedillo,
Cogdill, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Denham, DeSaulnier,
Ducheny, Dutton, Florez, Hancock, Harman, Huff, Kehoe,
Leno, Liu, Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod, Padilla, Pavley,
Price, Romero, Runner, Simitian, Steinberg, Strickland,
Walters, Wolk, Wright, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Hollingsworth, Oropeza, Wiggins,
Vacancy, Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 78-0, 8/12/10 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
CONTINUED
SB 1455
Page
2
SUBJECT : Electric vehicles
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the California Energy
Commission, by July 1, 2011, in consultation with the
Public Utilities Commission, to develop and maintain an
Internet Web site containing specific links to electrical
corporation and local publicly owned electric utility
Internet Web sites or other Internet Web sites that contain
information specific to plug-in hybrid or fully electric
vehicles, including information on the following: (1)
Resources to direct a consumer on how to find out if
his/her residence will require a utility service upgrade,
(2) basic charging circuit requirements, (3) utility rate
options, and (4) load management techniques.
Assembly Amendments make clarifying change to the Senate
version of the bill.
ANALYSIS : Current law requires the Public Utilities
Commission (PUC) to direct the development of an
infrastructure sufficient to facilitate the widespread use
of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and full electric
vehicles (collectively EVs) and to adopt rules to address
infrastructure barriers by July 1, 2011.
Background
According to the California Energy Commission (CEC) there
were 14,670 EVs operating in California in 2008 down from
an industry high of 23,399 in 2003. However, an increasing
number and variety of EVs are expected to hit the showroom
floors of car dealers in the coming months and years. The
CEC expects the number of EVs to grow from 32,756 in 2011
to 1.5 million by 2020 and 2.8 million by 2030.
A historic number of automakers have already begun or
announced deployment of a range of on-road EVs, including
light-duty plug-in hybrid EVs, full-size battery EVs, two
wheel battery EVs, and three or four wheel low-speed
CONTINUED
SB 1455
Page
3
neighborhood EVs beginning this year.
The state's investor-owned utilities (IOUs) do have tariffs
in place for electric cars and have assisted residential
customers and fleet managers with the charging
infrastructure necessary for the vehicles on a limited
basis. However regulators, the utilities and the electric
grid are not ready for the thousands of cars expected.
Infrastructure investments and policies at the customer
site, commercial site, public charging site, and
distribution system level are all required to prepare the
electricity system for the widespread use of EVs.
In response to the marketplace and the directives of SB 626
(Kehoe), 2009-10 Session, the PUC has initiated a
rulemaking (R.09-08-009) to determine the barriers and
opportunities presented by EVs on the grid. Issues under
consideration include rate design for the charging of EVs,
options for development of metering and charging
infrastructure, and how to incorporate EV charging with
renewable energy supply.
Comments
Author's intent . As an increasing number of EVs come to the
new car market, the author is concerned about whether the
buyers of those vehicles will have the information they
need to understand the relationship between a vehicle that
needs to be charged at home and the electrical features and
safety measures they will need to consider in order to
safely and appropriately charge their vehicle. The author
notes that information coming from the manufacturer of an
EV will likely be limited to the features and basic
charging requirements for that vehicle and not the
infrastructure necessary to establish a charging connection
for the EV.
Related legislation . SB 1437 (Kehoe) requires the PUC to
determine the costs to be borne by each class of ratepayers
for the costs of bringing EVs to the grid.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
CONTINUED
SB 1455
Page
4
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/17/10)
Plug In America
Public Utilities Commission
San Diego Gas and Electric Company
Sempra Energy Solutions
Southern California Gas Company
Union of Concerned Scientists
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block,
Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero,
Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto,
Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Eng, Evans, Feuer,
Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines,
Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey,
Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries,
Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,
Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello,
Nielsen, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Norby, Vacancy
DLW:mw 8/17/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****
CONTINUED