Update on Cape Canaveral EV charging stations

My city of Cape Canaveral has so much that’s positive. I love living there. But… on the EV Charging Station matter, I believe the City is in error.

This is the result of our City Council unanimously voting to get our municipality into the electric vehicle charging business, done without first putting the $111k outlay to the taxpayers for a voice or a vote thru referendum.

Time will tell about how much revenue this will bring into the city’s coffers.

We will pursue a monthly report on the revenues derived, and the net profit after expenses are paid to installer NovaCHARGE, including profit-over-cost for electric power used.

From the City’s Dec. 4 Weekly Update Newsletter:

On Monday, November 20, 2023, construction work began to upgrade each of the City’s six existing Level-2 non-networked free-to-use public electric vehicle charging stations to Level-2 (240V/32A) networked pay-to-use versions. Each new station (which are now NovaCHARGE NC8000 Series stations) were structurally completed and received final inspection on Thursday, November 30. The new stations will all officially be active for public use on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at 6:30 a.m.. 

This project was unanimously approved by Council at the July 18, Regular City Council Meeting. It is estimated that the new stations will be up and running on or about Wednesday, December 6, 2023.

To learn more details about the project – including user pricing – please use the link below and scroll down to the “Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations” dropdown. Drivers will need to download the app ChargeUp to utilize the stations…

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From the City’s website:

The City owns and operates six pay-to-use public networked Level-2 universal electric vehicle (EV) charging stations (with 12 total charging plugs) that are available to residents and visitors. The specific model of charging station will be NovaCHARGE’s 240V/32A NC8000 Series and they will require user payment to operate. Locations include:

1. Cape Canaveral City Hall (six plugs): 100 Polk Ave, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920 
2. Manatee Sanctuary Park (two plugs): 701 Thurm Blvd, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
3. Banana River Park (two plugs): 901 Puerto Del Rio, Dr, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
4. City of Cape Canaveral Community Center (2 plugs): 7920 Orange Ave, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920 

Fees collected will be deposited to the City’s general fund revenue account and thereby used to offset costs for electricity provided at the stations as well as maintenance needs of the stations and related infrastructure.

City Council elected to have a resident/non-resident differential rate structure that will include an increased rate after the first four hours to encourage vehicle turnover.

• Resident rates:
  • $0.15 per kWh for the first 4 hours of charging
  • $0.20 per kWh after the first 4 hours of charging
• Nonresident rates:
  • $0.20 per kWh for the first 4 hours of charging
  • $0.25 per kWh after the first 4 hours of charging

Users will need to download NovaCHARGE’s app – ChargeUp – to utilize each of the City’s public charging stations and create an account that will allow for transactions to occur. Payment instructions can be found on each of the charging station’s faceplates, as well as a QR code that allows one to download the ChargeUp app. 

To receive the discounted resident charging rate, residents must email info@cityofcapecanaveral.org with proof of residency (i.e., a driver’s license, a utility bill, etc.). These rates stated above will only work for City-owned NovaCHARGE stations operated by the City on municipal property. No other NovaCHARGE stations, or any other charging station, are affected by the City’s rate/payment structure. The system’s resident name bank will be purged at the start of each fiscal year (October 1) to ensure that resident accounts accurately reflect residency status. Residents will need to resubmit proof of residency to keep their resident discount active.

In addition, NovaCHARGE, like all cloud-based, networked EV charging service providers across the industry, will charge a standard transaction fee of $0.50, plus 5% of the overall transaction cost for each charging session. This transaction fee covers costs incurred by NovaCHARGE, including their 24/7 driver support line, fees assessed by NovaCHARGE’s payment processing company, company employees and overhead.

All EVs that remain plugged in after their charge is complete will incur an “idle fee” of $0.15 per minute until the recharging plug is removed. All City charging stations will cease operations at 9:30 pm every evening, and resume operations at 6:30 am every morning. Per City Code, it is prohibited to remain parked overnight at a City park (i.e., Manatee Sanctuary Park, Banana River Park, and Canaveral City Park where the Community Center is located). While not prohibited by Code, the City does discourage overnight parking at City Hall to reduce the chances of loitering and risks during off-hours.

In the event that a declaration of emergency is declared at the local or state level, all City charging stations will be moved to 24/7 operations until the declaration of emergency is rescinded or expires. 

If a driver is having an issue with one of the City’s charging stations, they can call 833-789-1400 for assistance.

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EV Owners Waking Up to the Nightmare of Massive Repair Bills

“Sticker shock” has taken on a whole new meaning when new electric vehicle owners get their first repair bill following a simple fender bender. The Wall Street Journal reports that a San Francisco resident got in a minor accident with his electric truck. He thought that repairs would be “a couple-thousand-dollar bill from the repair shop and to be without his truck for a couple of weeks.” 

Instead, the first-time EV owner was shocked to get a $22,000 bill for repairs that took 2 1/2 months.

The Biden administration has a goal to have 50% of all new cars on the road in 2030 be electric vehicles. That’s about 48 million cars and trucks. Owners are going to need chargers on the road, mechanics to service them, and parts to repair their vehicles.

None of those things exist in the numbers necessary for a smooth transition to EVs.

As far as repairs go, they may be more expensive than gas-powered cars, but the upkeep of EVs is only a fraction of what a driver pays for maintaining a conventional vehicle. But insurance is much higher and parts are twice as expensive as gasoline cars.

Altogether, you probably come out a little ahead with an EV as far as operating costs. But is the rest of it worth it?

When these vehicles do get into a crash, repairs can be more complex for many reasons. The bodies can be more complicated to disassemble, and the repairs tend to require more steps and precautions, Fredman said. 

Vehicles containing lithium-ion batteries also require special storage consideration because of the risk of fire when they are damaged, said Scott Benavidez, chairman of the trade group Automotive Service Association and owner of a collision repair business in New Mexico. Those precautions add both time and cost to the repair process, he added. 

The fire hazard is especially acute because most rural and small-town volunteer fire departments don’t know how to put out a fire from a vehicle containing lithium-ion batteries. It will take a few years before the fire departments catch up with their urban counterparts.

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Americans Not Buying Into the Government’s Electric Vehicle Revolution

‘Mr. President, it is time to tap the brakes on the unrealistic government electric vehicle mandate,’ stated 3,882 car dealers.

Increasingly, Americans are rejecting the Biden administration’s net-zero central planning initiatives that aim to electrify transportation and home heating, while transforming our electric grid to wind and solar power. 

Recently, this rejection has come in the form of a reluctance to buy electric vehicles (EVs) despite numerous government subsidies and mandates, and in the form of towns and counties prohibiting wind and solar projects in their communities.

Automotive dealers, staring at swelling inventories of unsold EVs on their lots, joined together to petition President Joe Biden to drop the mandates that are part of his plan to force America’s cars and trucks onto the electric grid.

MORE

https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/americans-not-buying-into-the-governments-electric-vehicle-revolution-5539218