Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell

During the budget process of 2009, my ETC committee developed a Statement of Legislative Intent (SLI) which directed Seattle City Light to explore policies and procedures meant to encourage and accommodate the use of plug-in electric vehicles in Seattle (EVs). Given the overlapping policy issues of building an electric vehicle infrastructure, theses efforts are being handled jointly by our Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) and City Light.

EVs are coming to Seattle. We currently have 150 EVs registered in our city which are mostly the “neighborhood electric vehicles” that are not permitted to exceed 35 MPH. As the technology continues to emerge, the number of EVs on our streets and highways will grow.

On September 30, 2009 at our Energy and Technology Committee meeting, I requested the Interim Director of OSE, Michael Mann to present the response to the Council’s SLI. Following is language from OSE and City Light’s SLI response which describes steps to ensure that our city is prepared for electric passenger vehicles in the fall of 2010. I think you will find it interesting.

Getting “plug-in ready” by the end of 2010 requires an ambitious 2009-2010 work program which includes the following:

• Streamline the permit process and provide consumer information for installing home and commercial charging stations.
• Develop building and land use code changes, where necessary, to encourage installation of public charging stations. This work will include developing land use regulations to facilitate public and private charging stations.
• Amending transportation codes in order to install charging stations in the public right of way. This work will include drafting an ordinance to include charging stations as a special use for parking and right of way purposes.
• Identifying potential charging station locations on City property. This work will include inventorying City-owned facilities for station locations, including an assessment of cost and power requirements, and installing charging stations in selected locations.
• Exploring electricity load and distribution constraints and opportunities. This work will include an assessment of the current distribution network’s ability to meet EV demand.
• Coordinating with surrounding cities and King County to develop a regional EV infrastructure strategy. This work will include participating in the regional EV team and collaborating with the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) and the State in the design of a regional EV network.
• Exploring market demand for plug-in vehicles, and the infrastructure needs for EV purchasers. This work will include conducting an infrastructure needs assessment to determine the use patterns and charging needs of EV purchasers.
• Providing education on the benefits of EVs. This work will include developing educational materials and conducting outreach to stakeholders, residents and businesses.

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