FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michele Mician, 760 323 8214
SOUTH COAST CITIES “CHARGE UP” THANKS TO MSRC FUNDING
SOUTH COAST AIR DISTRICT – [November 5, 2013] – The Cities of Cathedral City, Palm Springs and Santa Ana are installing new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, with the help of Clean Transportation Funding from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC). These new EV charging stations help carry out the mission of the MSRC to invest in projects that reduce harmful emissions from mobile sources like passenger vehicles.
The MSRC’s funding provided the opportunity for these cities to leverage funding from other sources including the California Energy Commission’s Reconnect California grant program administered by ClipperCreek Inc., enabling these three cities to install a total of 42 Level 2 chargers. The Reconnect California program provides funding to upgrade existing publicly available EV charging infrastructure to the new SAE J1772 charging standard. The MSRC provided $136,000 in match funds for pre-wiring, station installation, and some charging stations purchasing costs.
The City of Cathedral City received MSRC funding for two charging stations to be installed at the Civic Center Parking Structure. The city decided to apply for funding to be able to serve the growing number of neighborhood electric vehicles, like golf carts, in the community. The city plans to have a total of six electric vehicle charging stations at the Civic Center Parking Structure.
The MSRC provided funding for six charging stations in the City of Palm Springs. By leveraging the funds from Reconnect California, Palm Springs was able to install 32 charging stations. The city wants to expand the number of EV charging stations because EVs are popular among its citizens and because of the public’s growing interest in electric vehicles. This is part of Palm Springs Your Sustainable City initiative to promote a clean and healthy environment, strong community engagement, and a thriving economy.
Santa Ana received MSRC funding for seven charging stations, located at City Hall, the Civic Center, the city’s corporate yard, and in the Santiago Arts District. Additionally, two stations scheduled for installation at the train depot and one already installed at the Santa Ana Mall will bring the total number of stations in the city to 9. Expanding the number of charging stations is part of the city’s Green Fleet Action Plan for Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure designed to help the city meet federal, state, and regional air quality standards and comply with the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s fleet rules.
All of the cities will be offering free charging to encourage more people to drive EVs. This is also true of the cities themselves. The City of Palm Springs has one all-electric Nissan Leaf in its fleet and is looking to purchase more, while the City of Santa Ana added two Leafs to its fleet in September 2013. Cathedral City has plans to add EVs to its fleet within the next fiscal year.
With the generous support of the MSRC, the Cities of Cathedral City, Palm Springs, and Santa Ana are able to implement strategies to improve local air quality and grow the network of electric vehicle charging stations throughout the Southland, benefitting all of Southern California. For more information on the mission and projects of the MSRC, please visit www.CleanTransportationFunding.org.
