BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1455
Page 1
Date of Hearing: June 28, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
BONNIE LOWENTHAL, Chair
SB 1455 (Kehoe) - As Amended: June 1, 2010
SENATE VOTE : 35-0
SUBJECT : Plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles: Internet Web
site.
SUMMARY : Requires the California Energy Resources Conservation
and Development Commission (Energy Commission), in consultation
with the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to develop
and maintain an Internet Web site containing specific links to
public utilities' web sites that contain information specific to
plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or fully electric vehicles (EVs).
Specifically, this bill :
1)By July 1, 2011, requires Energy Commission, in consultation
with PUC, 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
sites that contain information specific to PHEVs or EVs.
2)Requires Energy Commission to include the following Web site
information:
a) Whether a vehicle will require a utility service upgrade
at the consumer's residence;
b) Basic charging circuit requirements;
c) Utility rate options; and,
d) Load management techniques.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes Energy Commission as the state's primary energy
policy and planning agency. Among other functions,
administers the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle
Technology Program, that provides grants, loans, loan
guarantees, revolving loans, or other appropriate measures,
for the development and deployment of innovative technologies
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that transform California's fuel and vehicle types to help
attain the state's climate change goals.
2)Creates PUC that regulates privately owned electric, natural
gas, telecommunications, water, railroad, rail transit, and
passenger transportation companies. Requires PUC to evaluate
policies to develop infrastructure sufficient to overcome any
barriers to the widespread deployment and use of PHEVs and
EVs, and adopt rules by July 1, 2011.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : The author states that with the transportation sector
making up 40% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, it is in
the best interest of the state to ensure that PHEVs and EVs be
part of the solution to achieve transportation sector greenhouse
gas emission reductions. It is therefore important for the
state to help consumers find useful information that will help
them make informed decisions about the relationship between
their home, the energy grid, and purchasing a PHEV or EV.
Providing important and useful links from energy utilities and
other internet web sites will help educate consumers.
Plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles : A typical PHEV combines
an internal combustion engine and a battery storage system. A
few PHEV demonstration vehicles are on California's roads today.
Most are "conversions" or traditional hybrids that have been
converted to PHEVs.
A PHEV can be designed to operate in different ways. For
example, it could be designed to operate using just battery
power for distances such as 20 miles. This all-electric or
zero-emission mode is appealing in California's congested smoggy
inner cities. It can be an electric vehicle for everyday short
trips and a gasoline car for longer trips on the weekend. A
PHEV can also be designed to operate in a way that optimizes the
vehicle's performance, fuel economy, or other attributes. In
this "blended mode" a PHEV has less all-electric range but can
get fuel economy of up to 100 mpg.
Electric vehicles include, but are not limited to, PHEVs,
battery electric vehicles, electric golf carts and neighborhood
electric vehicles (NEVs). Electric vehicles are known to have
faster acceleration, but shorter distance range than
conventional petroleum-fueled engines. They produce no exhaust,
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but require rather long charging times. Smaller neighborhood
electric vehicles use a plug that will plug into any 110 volt
outlet. However, full-function EVs use 220-240 electrical
outlet with charging time varying, depending on how "empty" the
battery is, how much energy the battery holds, and other
factors. In general, it takes approximately six to eight hours
to recharge vehicles that are "empty." Full-function EVs will
also require installation of specific charging equipment.
Current or near-term major manufacturers of electric vehicles
include, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi,
Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota. Other EV manufacturers include
Tesla Motors, Think Global, Phoenix Motorcars, and others.
Policy background : AB 1493 (Pavley) Chapter 200, Statutes of
2002, required the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to
develop and adopt, no later than January 1, 2005, regulations
that achieve the maximum feasible and cost-effective reduction
of greenhouse gases emitted by motor vehicles. In response to
AB 1493, ARB promulgated regulations that require 11% of the
vehicles produced and delivered for sale in California must be
zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by model year 2010-11. (Some
PHEVs do not qualify as ZEVs if they still use an internal
combustion engine.) That number will grow incrementally until
2018 when a minimum of 16% of the vehicles produced and
delivered for sale in California must be ZEVs. Manufacturers
may comply with the requirements through multiple alternative
compliance options that include the production of low-emission
vehicles.
In its 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report, the Energy
Commission recommended that the state establish a public/private
"working group to examine the markets for development and
commercialization of [PHEVs]" and "develop partnerships with
equipment manufacturers to demonstrate [PHEVs], assess consumer
demand for these options, and support early incentives to reduce
initial consumer costs." AB 1077 (Lieber) of 2007, intended to
implement the recommendation; however, it failed passage in the
Senate.
On January 18, 2007, Executive Order S-1-07 created the Low
Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and called for a reduction of at
least 10 percent in the carbon intensity of California's
transportation fuels by 2020. It instructed the California
Environmental Protection Agency to coordinate activities between
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the University of California, Energy Commission, and other state
agencies to develop and propose a draft compliance schedule to
meet the 2020 target. It also directed ARB to consider
initiating a regulatory proceeding to establish and implement
the LCFS. In response, ARB identified the LCFS as an early
action item with a regulation to be adopted and implemented by
2010.
Joint hearing : On May 24, 2010, the Assembly Utilities and
Commerce Committee and the Assembly Transportation Committee
held a joint hearing to explore the requirement that
manufacturers produce and deliver electric vehicles for sale in
California as a greenhouse gas reduction method. Some of the
questions and concerns raised included:
1)Are we shifting greenhouse gas emissions from the
transportation sector to the electricity generation sector.
2)How will the needed infrastructure to re-power EVs be
developed and by whom.
3)How will rates be set to encourage the efficient use of the
electricity infrastructure when recharging EVs.
4)How can California address a market for retail electricity at
remote public or private re-charging stations.
On June 18, 2010, Chairperson Bonnie Lowenthal conducted another
committee informational hearing in Long Beach on electric
vehicles and infrastructure needs. Electrical utility
corporations and private sector automobile companies testified
that increasing deployment of EVs in the near future will
necessitate the need for consumer information as proposed by
this bill.
Is this information currently available : Neither the Energy
Commission nor PUC have easily accessible information on their
Internet web sites that would include the information required
by this bill. PG&E includes information about establishing
special electricity service (E-9 service), the E-9 rate, and
installation of a time-of-use meter. In addition, it includes
an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Installation Manual that
provides customers and contractors with information to properly
install all required electric vehicle charging equipment at a
customer's site. The manual includes references to specific
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California electrical code information, equipment regulations
and requirements, permitting issues, load management and
electric vehicle charging rate information.
Southern California Edison (SCE) is the easiest and most useful
site, and includes a very easy-to-locate page titled, "Get
Plug-in Ready" that provides all the information a customer
needs to decide whether to purchase an electric vehicle, and the
necessary information for the installation of a meter, rates,
and other relevant information. San Diego Gas and Electric and
the Sacramento Municipal Utility District also provide an
easy-to-locate site with all of the pertinent information
required by this bill. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
only states what the customer needs to know in three bullet
points;
1)Understand the different vehicle and charging options.
2)Find out what it will take to install a charger at your home.
3)Research available financial and rate incentives], however, it
doesn't provide any of the information and doesn't offer a
link to a site that would contain the necessary information.
Author's amendment : In response to utility corporation
suggestions for clarification, the author wishes to amend the
bill as follows:
On page 3, lines 12 and 13, delete "Whether a vehicle will
require a utility service upgrade at the consumer's residence"
and replace with the following:
Resources to direct a consumer on how to find out if their
residence will require a utility service upgrade
Committee of second referral : This bill was first referred to
the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee and was passed out
of that committee with a vote of 14-0.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Public Utilities Commission
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Plug In America
Southern California Edison (if amended)
Union of Concerned Scientists
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Ed Imai / TRANS/ (916) 319-2093