victorian electric vehicle trial mid-term report - Department of Transport

PUBLIC CHARGING CASE STUDYON-STREET CHARGING STATIONS IN MELBOURNE CBDIn 2010 City of Melbourne agreed to provide up to 12 on-street parking bays in Melbourne’s CBD for exclusive useas electric vehicle parking/charging locations for the duration of the trial. This commitment has underpinned aninvestigation into the process, timelines, obstacles and opportunities for on-street charging stations.Initial attempts to identify suitable sites were confounded by the limited information available about theunderground cables, pipes etc. that may enable/inhibit establishment of electrical infrastructure. A key inputinto site selection is the location of convenient points of electrical supply, as this has a large bearing on theexcavation/structural works and with this the project costs. This information was possible to obtain through:(i)Formal applications to the electricity network operator in response to detailed works plans (a large andcostly commitment at the site identification stage), or(ii) Informal dialog with the electricity network operator via their representative taking part in the trial projectmeetings (who agreed to investigate a number of regions of around 300 metres diameter as an in-kindcontribution to the trial), or(iii) On-the-ground site surveys to identify potential sources of electrical supply (signified most oftenby the presence of electrical man-hole covers/pits, or above-ground ventilation stacks forunderground substations).As a starting point for the trial site identification, an informal request was supplied to the electricity networkoperator for information about relevant underground electrical infrastructure within a 300 metre radius of sixlocations of interest. These locations were selected to coincide with fleet EV operator parking preferences, whichwould help ensure site utilisation. In response to this request a mark-up map was supplied of potentially relevantelectrical infrastructure in each area. On-the-ground site surveys eliminated all but one site, primarily due to thenetwork infrastructure not aligning with the parking and/or traffic arrangements. Criminal damage risks,for example due to the proximity of a late-night entertainment venue, were also an influence on the site review.One preferred location was taken forwards initially via an application by the charging service provider for anexemption from Energy Safe Victoria under the Electrical Safety Act 2000. The exemption was granted partlydue to the agreement with City of Melbourne for the provision of on-street parking/charging locations asan in-kind contribution to the trial. Having gained the exemption, the charging service provider developed adetailed works plan in consultation with the electricity network operator. Despite the preliminary site surveysundertaken above, the detailed works plan was costed at around $30,000 for a single standard charging outlet,in addition to which complications were identified in relation to some heritage-listed trees in the vicinity of thesite. At this point a decision was made to not proceed with this site.Separate and subsequent to the experience above, a new site was identified in partnership with a corporatesponsor who was seeking a highly visible location outside of their offices to showcase their branded electricvehicles. Having secured the supplementary funding commitment along with a minimum-level site utilisation,a decision to proceed with the preliminary works plan and approvals processes was made in May 2012.A similar process to that outlined above was undertaken by a trial charging service provider. An exemptionapproval was obtained from Energy Safe Victoria, following which a detailed works plan was developed. Thedetailed works plan drew on input supplied by the electricity network operator, confirming the adequacy ofelectrical supply and outlining the proposed method of connection to the network. At this point the projectproposal costs were estimated at around $20,000.The detailed works plan was then lodged with City of Melbourne for a planning approval. The initial reviewreturned an approval in-principle for the parking reassignment, along with a request for further information.The main risk issues discerned by council as needing to be addressed were:• Tripping hazard from the charging cable• Cyclist hazard from the charging plug protruding from the vehicle• Shock hazard potential.As of January 2013 discussions were still underway regarding the risk assessment submission– eight months from when the detailed works planning process was initiated.Indications from City of Melbourne are that works are generally scheduled to occur aroundeight weeks from when the planning approval is finalised.CREATING A MARKET 85