BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE       BILL NO: AB 475
          SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN              AUTHOR:  Butler
                                                         VERSION: 6/7/11
          Analysis by:  Mark Stivers                     FISCAL:  yes
          Hearing date:  June 14, 2011



          SUBJECT:

          Vehicle charging

          DESCRIPTION:

          This bill allows any vehicle that is connected for electric 
          charging purposes to park in a garage space designated for 
          charging and eliminates the zero-emission vehicle decal program. 
           

          ANALYSIS:

          Current law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to 
          issue zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) decals for the purpose of 
          parking and recharging in designated parking spaces.  Cars, 
          trucks, or other vehicles that do not produce tailpipe or 
          evaporative emissions qualify for ZEV decals.  

          Current law also authorizes local authorities and the owners of 
          off-street parking facilities to designate stalls for the 
          exclusive purpose of fueling and parking a vehicle that displays 
          a valid ZEV decal.  Vehicles parked in a designated space 
          without a ZEV decal, vehicles blocking a ZEV-designated space, 
          and vehicles that fraudulently display a ZEV decal are subject 
          to citation.  In addition, a garage owner, if he or she meets 
          signage requirements and notifies the appropriate police or 
          sheriff's department, may remove (i.e., impound) a vehicle 
          parked in a designated space without a ZEV decal.  

          This bill  :

           Allows local authorities and the owners of off-street parking 
            facilities to designate stalls for the exclusive purpose of 
            charging and parking a vehicle that is connected for electric 
            charging.
           Expands access to spaces designated for charging to any 
            vehicle that is connected for charging purposes, including 




          AB 475 (BUTLER)                                        Page 2

                                                                       


            both purely electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles.
           Eliminates the DMV program to issue ZEV decals and removes the 
            requirement that a vehicle parked in a space designated for 
            electric charging display a decal.
          
          COMMENTS:

           1.Purpose of the bill  .  The author's intent is to make current 
            ZEV-designated stalls in off-street parking facilities 
            accessible to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles so that drivers 
            can utilize available charging facilities.  Because a plug-in 
            hybrid electric vehicle has a gasoline-powered combustion 
            engine that acts as a back-up to the electric battery, it does 
            not meet the strict definition of a ZEV and is therefore 
            ineligible to park in ZEV-designated spaces.  The larger goal 
            is to facilitate the use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles 
            and spur their market penetration, which would decrease 
            dependency on fossil fuels and help California meet its 
            greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.  

           2.The ZEV decal program  .  DMV states that it has issued only 807 
            ZEV decals statewide for purely electric vehicles.  Were this 
            bill to expand the ZEV decal program to include plug-in hybrid 
            vehicles, this program would likely grow substantially.  This 
            bill, however, actually eliminates the decal program and 
            requirement completely.  Because only chargeable vehicles may 
            connect to a charging station, and the connection itself will 
            be obvious, there really is no need for a decal.  The vehicle 
            itself and the connection will serve as the decal.  A garage 
            owner may then remove any vehicle not connected to the 
            charging station for charging purposes.

           3.Concerns  .  One EV advocacy group expressed concern that 
            allowing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to access 
            ZEV-designated stalls could "edge out" strictly electric 
            vehicles because it is likely that plug-in hybrids will 
            significantly outnumber strictly electric vehicles in the 
            foreseeable future.  EV advocates argue that strictly electric 
            vehicles have a greater need to access charging facilities due 
            to inherent range limitations and that, if access to charging 
            facilities is uncertain, strictly electric vehicle owners will 
            likely opt to use standard, gasoline-powered combustion engine 
            vehicles to complete required trips, resulting in increased 
            emissions and reduced consumer confidence in strictly electric 
            vehicles.  The California League of Cities, on the other hand, 
            notes that ZEV-designated parking stalls generally are 




          AB 475 (BUTLER)                                        Page 3

                                                                       


            underutilized in the majority of city-owned garages while 
            noting that antiquated or inoperable charging facilities may 
            be a contributing factor.  

           4.Technical amendment  :  On page 3, line 24 strike "currently"

          Assembly Votes:
               Floor:    67-7
               Appr: 15-0
               Trans:    13-0

          POSITIONS:  (Communicated to the Committee before noon on 
          Wednesday,
                     June 8, 2011)

               SUPPORT:  California Electric Transportation Coalition
                         Sacramento Municipal Utility District
                         Plug In America
                         General Motors

          
               OPPOSED:  None received.