BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 475
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 475 (Butler)
As Amended June 21, 2011
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |67-7 |(May 19, 2011) |SENATE: |38-0 |(August 18, |
| | | | | |2011) |
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Original Committee Reference: TRANS.
SUMMARY : Expands the type of vehicles, to include plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which are qualified to use
designated offstreet parking facilities.
The Senate amendments :
1)Delete the requirement that electric vehicles (EVs) display a
valid Department of Motor Vehicle-issued (DMV-issued) EV decal
to utilize designated EV charging stalls in offstreet parking
facilities and instead require that vehicles utilizing a
designed EV charging stall must be connected for electric
charging purposes.
2)Authorize the owner-operator of an offstreet parking facility
to have a vehicle removed from an EV-designated charging stall
if the vehicle is not connected for electric charging
purposes.
3)Require that designated EV charging stalls in offstreet
parking facilities must be signed to indicate that vehicles
using the stalls must be connected for electric charging.
4)Delete the requirement that DMV issue EV decals.
5)Delete the definition of EVs, for the purpose EV charging
stall use in offstreet parking facilities.
6)Make related clarifying amendments.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires DMV to issue zero emission vehicle (ZEV) decals for
the purposes of parking and refueling in designated recharging
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parking spaces. Vehicles that qualify for ZEV decals include
cars, trucks, or other vehicles that do not produce tailpipe
or evaporative emissions.
2)Authorizes local authorities or owners or operators of
offstreet parking facilities to designate stalls strictly for
vehicles that display a valid ZEV decal and prohibits vehicles
without a ZEV decal from occupying or blocking ZEV-designated
parking spaces.
3)Authorizes the owner or person in lawful possession of an
offstreet parking facility, after notifying the police or
sheriff, to remove a vehicle from a ZEV-designated stall to
the nearest public garage, if a valid ZEV decal is not
displayed on the vehicle.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill was substantially similar
to the version passed by the Senate.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)Minor, absorbable one-time costs to DMV to design, produce,
and distribute EV decals to holders of existing ZEV stickers,
about 800 of which currently exist.
2)Minor, ongoing costs to DMV, in the range of no more than
$1,000 a year, to distribute EV stickers to owners of new EVs,
fully covered by fee revenue (Motor Vehicle Account). These
costs and revenues could become more significant should PHEV
sales increase dramatically, thereby requiring distribution of
a greater number of EV stickers. DMV reports, however, that
its conversations with automobile industry representatives
lead it to believe that PHEV sales will be fairly modest for
the next five years, at least.
COMMENTS : By introducing this bill, the author intends to make
current ZEV-designated stalls in offstreet parking facilities
accessible to PHEVs so that drivers of PHEVs can utilize
available charging facilities. By providing PHEVs with
increased access to charging facilities, the author hopes to
increase vehicle miles traveled using electricity, which would
decrease dependency on fossil fuels and help California meet its
requirements.
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Historically, EVs have been strictly electric, meaning that
electricity alone is used to power the vehicle. These vehicles
use batteries that are charged when plugged into an electricity
power source. Since electricity is the sole power source for
strictly electric vehicles, owners have a heightened awareness
regarding access to charging facilities. In fact, the term
"range anxiety" refers to a strictly electric vehicle owner's
fear of not being able to recharge, having the battery run down,
and being stranded.
As strictly EVs became more prevalent in the 1990s, there was an
interest in providing greater access to EV charging facilities
to reduce "range anxiety." AB 1314 (Havice), Chapter 640,
Statutes of 2002, sponsored by the California Public Parking
Association, was introduced to facilitate the establishment of
designated charging stations in parking garages. AB 1314
(Havice) authorized public and private parking garages to
designate stalls for the exclusive use of ZEVs that qualified
for a DMV-issued ZEV parking decal. AB 1314 (Havice), also
authorized parking enforcement provisions that allowed for
removal of unauthorized vehicles from ZEV-designated stalls.
PHEVs were developed to address "range anxiety" experienced by
strictly electric vehicle owners by providing an alternate power
source. PHEVs use electricity as the primary source of power
but have a gasoline-powered combustion engine that acts as a
back-up in the event there is insufficient battery charge to
complete a trip. The Chevrolet Volt is the first PHEV to come
to the marketplace. Because PHEVs utilize a combustion engine
which, when employed, results in the production of tailpipe
emissions, they do not meet the strict definition of a ZEV, as
provided in AB 1314 (Havice). As a result, PHEVs do not qualify
as a ZEV and cannot be issued a ZEV decal by DMV or utilize
ZEV-designated parking stalls.
It is unclear how many ZEV-designated stalls exist in public and
private parking garages, however, the DMV notes that only 807
ZEV decals have been issued statewide. The California League of
Cities (League) notes that generally, ZEV-designated parking
stalls are underutilized in the majority of city-owned garages
noting that antiquated or inoperable charging facilities could
be a contributing factor to such low usage.
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Supporters of this bill note that promoting the use of PHEVs
will ultimately help California meet its air quality goals and
reduce overall dependence on fossil fuels. Supporters also
suggest that if drivers of PHEVs are provided with convenient
access to parking and charging facilities, the number of miles
driven using combustion engines will be reduced thereby
encouraging future purchases of PHEV or, preferably, strictly
electric vehicles.
One EV group expressed concern that allowing PHEVs to access
ZEV-designated stalls, could "edge out" strictly electric
vehicles since it is likely that PHEVs will significantly
outnumber strictly electric vehicles in the foreseeable future.
This group noted that strictly electric vehicles have a greater
need to access charging facilities due to inherent range
limitations and, 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. It
could be argued, however, that the influx of PHEVs into the
marketplace could help to drive installation of additional
charging stations, which would result in an overall increase in
charging opportunities for strictly electric vehicles. The
greater attention to the need for installing additional charging
stations is already evidenced by recent state and federal
government grant programs designed to expand the electric
vehicle charging infrastructure.
Previous legislation : AB 1314 (Havice), Chapter 640, Statutes
of 2002, allowed local authorities and parking garage operators
to designate spaces for the exclusive use of ZEVs and authorized
the towing of vehicles and levying of fines for violations of
such parking restrictions.
Analysis Prepared by : Victoria Alvarez / TRANS. / (916) 319-
2093
FN: 0001607
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