A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 18-13, regarding electric vehicles

C I T Y O F C A M B R I D G E Community Development Department Iram Farooq Assistant City Manager for Community Development Sandra Clarke Deputy Director Chief of Administration 344 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02139 Voice: [phone removed] Fax: [phone removed] TTY: [phone removed] www.cambridgema.gov To: Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager From: Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development Date: May 9, 2018 Re: Policy Order 18-13, regarding electric vehicles Community EV Strategy The City of Cambridge has a long history of implementing policies and programs to reduce vehicle ownership, limit single-occupancy vehicle trips, and encourage use of alternative and more sustainable modes of transportation. However, we know that automobiles will continue to be part of the mix of modes in the city, and for those that continue to own and drive a vehicle in Cambridge, electric vehicles (EVs) will play an important role in reducing both GHG emissions and local air pollution. Per the Climate Protection Action Committee’s Goals and Objectives for 2020 that were adopted by the City Council in 2015, a key component of the City’s climate protection strategy is to encourage a shift from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles, while still reducing overall vehicle ownership and vehicle miles travelled (VMT). Given this hierarchy of priorities, it would be beneficial for our programs and policies to incentivize electric vehicles over internal combustion engine vehicles without incentivizing new vehicle ownership or new vehicle trips. The majority of residents in Cambridge do not have dedicated off-street parking and therefore the availability of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) remains a key barrier to the adoption of EVs in Cambridge. This is supported by a 2015 study commissioned by Eversource that Cambridge participated in, “Accommodating Garage Orphans”. The Massachusetts state goal is to have 300,000 EVs registered statewide by 2025. Proportional to the State’s total automobiles registered in Cambridge, this equates to a goal of over 4,000 EVs registered in Cambridge by 2025. The exact number of EVSE, and the most appropriate level and location of EVSE chargers needed to support that level of EV ownership by Cambridge residents has not been determined. However, given the high number of homes without access to off street parking, we believe that the availability of EVSE charging in public places and in the public right of way will need to increase to support EV ownership in Cambridge.

Funds are included in the FY19 operating budget proposal for the Community Development Department (CDD) to further develop and refine an EV Strategy. The EV Strategy is expected to include recommendations on the following: • Options for expanding the network of publicly available EVSE to meet resident and visitor needs, including a strategy for siting of stations, EVSE technology most appropriate for different use cases, and public EVSE ownership models and funding sources. • Policy mechanisms and incentives the City could consider to support EVSE on private property. • High impact outreach activities to support the recommendations in the EV/EVSE strategy. • Plans for monitoring and evaluating strategies that are implemented. The EV Strategy recommendations will prioritize equitable access to EV information and EV charging for all Cambridge residents. While the EV Strategy will provide a long-term plan for supporting EV ownership, the City continues to pursue short term opportunities. In the FY19 budget proposal, the City has allocated $100,000 in capital funds for EVSE installation on municipal property. The funding is expected to cover the hardware and installation costs for three EVSE stations in municipal parking lots. The City is also working with Eversource to apply for funds that the utility has available. Through their “Make Ready” program, Eversource plans to invest $45 million in extending electrical capacity for EVSE statewide. If Cambridge municipal parking lots are accepted for the Make Ready program funding, it would reduce the City’s cost of installation, freeing up capital funds for additional EVSE installations. The City also continues to pursue opportunities for EV and EVSE outreach, beyond providing information on the City’s webpage and at general outreach events. Last year CDD hosted two Ride and Drive events during National Drive Electric Week. The first was a stand-alone event, and the second was part of Danehy Park Family Day. CDD is coordinating with staff from other City departments, EV advocacy groups, the State Department of Energy Resources (DOER), and Eversource to host Ride and Drive events again this year. We are focused on adding Ride and Drive events to existing City events, such as the River Festival and Danehy Park Family Day, as those events attract a large and diverse audience.

Municipal Fleet Initiatives The City’s fleet comprises approximately 360 vehicles. These vehicles perform diverse tasks such as refuse and compost collection; fire-fighting, emergency medical response; police-related activities; snow plowing; tree watering; park and street maintenance; food services for public schools; staff work-related transportation, and other functions. These tasks require a range of vehicle types, weights, and performance capabilities. In 2010 the City adopted a Green Fleets Policy as a prerequisite for becoming one of the first Green Communities in Massachusetts. The policy requires all vehicle purchase requests to be evaluated by an interdepartmental Green Fleets committee. The guidelines include reducing vehicle and fleet size when appropriate, using alternative fuel vehicles when feasible and meeting state Green Community fuel efficiency guidelines for administrative vehicles. The fleet currently includes close to 40 hybrid and two electric vehicles. In 2017 we converted a rubbish packer, Human Services shuttle bus and two maintenance vans to hybrid drive systems. We’ve submitted a grant proposal to the state to equip an additional 11 medium and heavy-duty vehicles with similar technology. It is also worth noting that all non-Fire department diesel vehicles use B20 biodiesel fuel that has been sourced from restaurant waste oil in the Northeast region. Municipal Clean Fleet Plan The Department of Public Works (DPW) is currently developing a Clean Fleet Plan to set a 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target and implementation plan for the municipal fleet. Work to date has included: • A fleet GHG inventory for 2009 through 2016. • Business-as-usual and several reduction scenarios for 2030 • Meetings with stakeholder departments to understand operational needs and introduce GHG-reducing technologies. As might be expected, 80% of the City’s fleet emissions are associated with DPW, Fire and Police vehicles. The technologies being investigated include converting or replacing vehicles with hybrid drive systems, installing auxiliary power units and other anti-idling devices and purchasing plug-in electric vehicles and equipment. Central to the success of the program is the need for a clear understanding of the operational requirements of departments, including whether a vehicle is used for snow plowing, emergency response, or during

severe storms, space required for on-board cargo and equipment, driver and mechanic training and infrastructure requirements. For electrification, this would include identifying electric infrastructure and locations for EV charging stations. Upcoming work includes: • Specifying the 2030 emissions reduction target and developing department-specific implementation plans. • Refining the analytic model to understand the impacts of factors such as price changes, energy supply mix and technological and market changes. • Evaluating a buy-electric policy for sedans and SUV’s. We will be working closely with other City departments and anticipate reporting on our work in FY19.