GSA - Charging Station Industry Day

Dear Industry Day Attendee/Interested Party, Thank you for your interest and participation in GSA's Charging Station Industry Day held March 1, 2016 virtually and in person at 1800 F Street in Washington, DC. We appreciate your input and hope the background provided will enhance and deepen your understanding of the government's needs surrounding electric vehicle charging station infrastructure. Thank you for the lively discussion and input. This input will help formulate a solicitation that we expect to issue by the end of FY'16. Attached please find the presentation given at Industry Day. Notes from the Industry Day are below. Please reach out to Matt Stockburger ( [email protected] v (703) 605-9523 ) or the AFV team ( [email protected] ) with program related questions. For any contract or schedule related questions, please contact Matt Gormley at [email protected] . GSA FLEET CHARGING STATION INDUSTRY DAY March 1, 2016 ATTENDEES ( blue indicates in-person attendance ) Autoflex - Luis MacDonald Black and Veatch - Hilary Berndt and Paul Stith ChargePoint - Matt Bianco Clipper Creek - Will Barrett EVSE LLC - Dean Spacht EvoCharge - Josh Kiewic EV Connect - David Hughes Greenlots - Nate Raith Juicebar EV - Debra Baribault K-Con, Inc - Annalee DeMerell PLEMCo - Anne Anderson SemaConnect - Mark Pastrone and and Joe Inglisa Veredek LLC - Guy Mannino QUESTIONS ASKED BY GSA FLEET Question : Do any vendors have questions about how to get on Schedule? For vendors looking to get on schedule. What schedule should they get on? Schedule 56 would be the more robust solution, but we would never say don't get on 23V as it is the Automotive Superstore. You could be on 23V to provide services for agencies looking to replace the mechanical hardware on existing infrastructure. 23V does not include installation services, it is actually specifically excluded. So turnkey solution would need to be under another schedule (schedule 56). If RFQ states that installation is required, vendor cannot be solely on Schedule 23V without a teaming arrangement. Question: Has PBS considered vehicle charging when installing solar and other energy arrangements in new buildings? (AutoFlex) Answer: We still need to figure this out but it will be considered. (GSA PBS) These types of considerations will likely be included in CEQ's guidance on the FAST Act. Ability to offer data plans on advantage (do they have to be prepaid?) -Verdek and others already offer them on 56 for up to 5 years on their schedule. 31 USCS § 3324. Advances (a) Except as provided in this section, a payment under a contract to provide a service or deliver an article for the United States Government may not be more than the value of the service already provided or the article already delivered. Based upon the above, the service must already be provided before customer agency can be invoiced. Therefore an agency can buy years out, but the vendor must invoice quarterly, monthly etc. or after service is completed. Question : Do you have installation services on schedule? (GSA Fleet) Answer : Verdek - Has product but not installation ChargePoint - Has product and partners for install PLEMCo - has product and install on schedule (56 and 84) Question : Are there capabilities to use Level 1 charging stations to get data? (GSA Fleet) Answer : Level 1 will likely be a manual process. Installation costs would be the same price, but with limitations in ability and time it takes to charge. EV drivers are not as happy with Level 1 stations (ChargePoint). Answer : If power is a concern, there are Level 2 solutions that don't need to use as much power. You can install 20 amps instead of 40 amps and still have more robust solution. This would also potentially lower installation costs. Society is no longer at the point where drivers will be okay with going to Level 1. It's "obsolete" technology. (Verdek) Answer : Is GSA interested in mix of level 1 and level 2 stations? There are some cheaper level 2 stations with software that can capture data behind the scenes. Interested in this? (SemaConnect) Response : Yes, we're looking for any solution that can balance the cost factor and need to get data. (GSA) Answer : Something to keep in mind for Level 1 stations is that wet weather can present some safety concerns. If cost is an issue for Level 2, I think we'll see continual cost pressure in the industry to reduce costs. You're not going to see a huge cost difference between basic or entry level 2 stations and a level 1 station. Level 1 and Level 2 would use the same amount of copper, maybe more conduit and have the same installation costs. (EvoCharge) Answer : The biggest cost driver in installation is the conduit run. So level 1 and level 2 doesn't matter - it depends on how complex the conduit needs to be to reach the station. Garages will tend to be cheaper. Running stations along perimeter is cheaper because closer to the building. (SemaConnect) Question : Do any vendors sell Telematic or other data devices that can pull charging information? For vendors that sell these devices, do they have the ability to pull/record charging level activity? Does any company have experience with this? Answer : We have some experience and some information we can provide on this. You'll want to work with companies that have experience and specialize in providing telematics on electric vehicles. We listed the companies we work with in our RFI that do just that. (ChargePoint) Question : Can you explain how the data transmission process would work? Answer : At this stage, cellular is key. Each charging station has a cellular receiver (other means such as ethernet) that transmits data to cloud network. Manager can log in and export/print data reports. Need to be careful with ethernet because need to work with IT department in the building and cyber security becomes an issue. Recommend cellular repeater if no cellular connection to avoid going through ethernet. ChargePoint agrees too. Starting to sell stations with cellular repeaters. (SemaConnect) Answer : - is the same as SemaConnect described, connection via satellite. (ChargePoint) Question : Do any vendors provide station leasing services? Answer : Are you looking at capital or operating leases? In a capital lease the asset is transferred to the customer at the end of the lease period. Could be a simple $1 transaction at end to transfer ownership. (SemaConnect) Response : Preference for this to be operating lease. (GSA Fleet) Caution with leasing - it will be one year with several options to extend. so must be aware of that risk. (GSA Contracting) Answer : We have experience with leasing vehicles through GSA's 751 schedule. For the private sector we do offer turnkey solution for leasing of charging stations. Some agencies are going open market to obtain this type of arrangement since it's not offered through GSA. (AutoFlex) Question : Is anyone here today on Schedule with leasing as an option? We don't think leasing can be done through 23V because the leasing solution would include installation. Would have to be teaming. Or could be on Schedule 56 and 751 (GSA Fleet/Contracting) Answer : Silence; some in person participants shook heads "no" QUESTIONS ASKED BY VENDORS/PARTICIPANTS Question : Do you know the timeframe on guidance from CEQ for FAST Act implementation? (SemaConnect) Answer : No, working group meetings are happening and CEQ is drafting the guidance. Last we heard, the plan was to have draft guidance released to agencies by late Spring 2016 but there is no set date (GSA Fleet). The guidance will suggest the amount to charge agencies per type of charging receptacle (outlets, level I stations and level II). It will only cover recommendations on charging outlets. Question : If we are only on Schedule 23V, can we be considered for a future RFQ since installation is requested? (AutoFlex) Answer : Teaming arrangements can be done as long as they are done correctly. Would depend on what the RFQ states. Teaming partner needs to be on the correct schedule. (GSA Contracting) Question : Does subcontractor need to be on schedule? (AutoFlex) Answer : Yes (GSA Contracting) Question : How many charging stations is GSA looking to install at each location? DOT is planning to have 50% of parking spots equipped with charging stations. (GSA PBS - P100 (electrical)) Answer : More information on volume will be forthcoming. It will be different for each building and each customer. The Administration is pushing for a high volume buy (GSA Fleet) Question : Can vendors on Schedule 23V include an accessory such as site visits? (AutoFlex) Answer : Can't answer that now. We need to do more research. 23V excludes installation, so we imagine that site visits would be included in that and would need to be under a different Schedule (56). (GSA Contracting) Question : How is GSA looking at the utility companies and the costs there? Black and Veatch works with the utility companies a lot. Sometimes, there are costs imposed by the utility. How does GSA intend to incorporate this in the RFP? Will the Schedules have room to work with the utility companies or will that be a separate component? (Black and Veatch) Answer : We conducted a pilot where we purchased 168 charging stations for federal agency pilot participants. Installation costs have varied based on complexity. For example, if agencies have to install whole new transformer this drives up the costs even more so. Depends on what the RFP includes. It likely will not be large enough quantities to warrant involving Utility companies. (GSA Contracting) Response : Level 1 and Level 2 projects won't need intervention by the utility companies. Might need to update electrical capacities in older buildings. For Level 3 installations we would need to bring them in. (Verdek) Response : We installed 500 stations at USPS in Merrifield VA. Site visits were what made that project successful. Proper site planning was key. Another key part of the process was to invite the utility companies to come in look at the site. They generate utility letters for the project if upgrades are involved. Utilities are an important piece of the process. (AutoFlex) Response : If installing 10 charging stations or less, then you will rarely need the utilities to get involved. (SemaConnect) Follow on Question : Local jurisdictions and permitting that is found in different jurisdictions needs to be considered as a variable in the RFQ. There is a cost factor in permitting and that needs to be factored in when GSA decides what they are looking for in terms of installation. (Black and Veatch) Question : In terms of payment means. Does GSA have any preferences? There are a lot of ways to do this. (SemaConnect) Answer : Leasing customers need to be able to use WEX since that is the Federal government's fleet card. We use WEX and companies like WEX because they provide us with level 2 data that we need to monitor for fraud, waste and abuse on our card. It would be ideal for stations to work with WEX. But for employee charging need some kind of payment solution for employees. The ability to set specific pricing, usage and visibility policies is key. (GSA Fleet) This contract with WEX expires in ~3 years so the card provider for GSA Fleet customers may change. Previous card companies have been Voyager, etc. (GSA Contracting). At this time the ability to capture vehicle level data is main concern. Question : For vendors looking to get on schedule. What schedule should they get on? (EvoCharge) Answer : Not going to tell you what one you should get on. Schedule 56 would be the more robust solution, but we would never say don't get on 23V. You could be on 23V to provide services for people just looking to replace the mechanical hardware on existing infrastructure. (GSA Contracting) Question : Does GSA have any interest in Level 3 charging? (EvoCharge) Answer : We know that the Air Force has been looking at Level 3 stations. Our guidance has been to go to commercial, if Level 3 charging is needed because the high cost of the stations and installation will be cost prohibitive and therefore not be feasible for most agencies at this time (GSA Fleet) Question : Will GSA consider opportunities for bundling orders or requirements to save money? We would recommend that you consider bundling smaller sites into a large package/order/requirement when feasible. This may help lower costs. Even aggregating low volume orders with high volume orders to bring down costs would help. Examples include multiple ranger stations, all military bases in an area, etc. (Black and Veatch) Answer : That's a great idea. We will approach federal agencies to get a better idea of the numbers. The current Administration is looking to finish the year with a commitment to driving down the price of EVs by going out with large volume buys. Hope to have that information - the number of vehicles, where located, etc. - to get a better idea of the number of charging stations needed. We're working with CEQ on employee workplace charging. So we'll need a survey at some point to understand how many federal employees would be interested in workplace charging. Question : Has PBS considered vehicle charging when installing solar and other energy arrangements in new buildings?. (AutoFlex) Answer : We still needing to figure this out. CEQ's guidance may affect/direct us (GSA PBS) Response : A building needs at least 3% of parking spaces required for LEED certification (Verdek) Question : Something GSA should be aware of are the role of utility companies in providing charging at buildings. SoCal Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric are interested in getting involved and are starting to do vehicle charging. The utilities are reaching out to charging station companies for their own RFI process. Some utilities are looking at procuring stations, some offering solutions to customers. Trying to get ahead of charging surges. (SemaConnect) Follow-on : The utility companies in California are looking to bring everyone together and not give any one company control. (ChargePoint) Question : Something GSA should also consider in the RFQ/P is ADA requirements. When you increase the number of charging stations, need to make sure you are abiding by requirements. This can dramatically impact project costs. This usually starts happening when adoption goes up. For example if your lot has 100 parking spaces, a few need to be dedicated to ADA. Then you may need to create additional stations/spaces that meet ADA requirements. Also, be aware that if the current parking lot does not meet current ADA codes, then you may be required to bring the whole parking lot up to current standards in order to put any charging stations in. (Black and Veatch) Question : What is the procurement process going to be for this effort? (SemaConnect) Answer : An RFP will be posted before the end of FY16 (September 30). It takes ~87 days to get on schedule. You will have to be a schedule holder to submit a proposal. We are doing this to drive quantity to one source. The BPA will be open to all federal agencies for purchase or lease. The quote would have to include data plans, but cannot prepay for services. The government has to pay as the services are rendered. So data plans w/ pricing for each year with billing on monthly or quarterly process is what we're looking for. We're looking to have installation included in the offering. AutoChoice is a potential source for ordering w/charging stations as ancillary equipment - however this may be challenging with data and installation. We will email the presentation to all vendors registered for today. (GSA Fleet)