Electric Vehicle Fall 2011 Quarterly Discussion Webinar (Text Version)
This is a text version of the video for the Electric Vehicle Fall 2011 Quarterly Discussion webinar presented on September 26, 2011, by International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI); Fred Wagner, Energetics Incorporated; and Mike Simpson, National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
COORDINATOR: Welcome and thank you for standing by. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. During the presentation there will be opportunities to ask questions. Any time, to ask a question, please press star, then one, and record your name at the prompt.
Today's conference is being recorded. If there are any objections, you may disconnect at this time. I would now like to turn the meeting over to Linda Bluestein. You may begin.
LINDA BLUESTEIN: Hi and welcome to today's electric vehicle quarterly webinar put on by the Department of Energy's Clean Cities program here at DOE headquarters in Washington, DC.
And I just wanted to thank you all for your attendance at this. I think, right now, we're something on about our sixth quarterly webinar and they've been quite successful. And again, we want to bring you the latest information that we can to help update your knowledge of the electric vehicle space. It's fast moving and there are a lot of new players and things going on.
Today we're going to get back to basics a little because, as we know, inspectors are a really major partner in developing electric vehicle supply equipment installation progress.
And today we have the International Association of Electrical Inspectors with us. And we have Jonathan Cadd, who is going to be talking to us about what an electrical inspector does; how to partner with electrical inspectors. They do work with cities and counties and others and they are a major part of progress in the area of installation and inspection.
And, not only are we going to discuss their jobs, but they're going to talk about a variety of resources that are available from their organization. And in addition to that, we're also going to talk and get a walkthrough of the EVSE residential charging installation for electrical contractors and inspections training video, which was developed with a subcontractor to the Idaho National Laboratory, Energetics. And Fred Wagner is going to walk us through that video.
And then it's going to be followed up by Mike Simpson, who is going to be talking about a series of information handbooks that are going to be available to Clean Cities as well as the general public on the alternative fuels datacenter website—to help link consumers, fleets, stations, owners, and contractors to essential information and tips about adopting electric vehicles and electric vehicle infrastructure.
So beginning this particular webinar is going to be Jonathan Cadd. He is the education codes and standards coordinator for the International Association of Electrical Inspectors, which is headquartered near Dallas, Texas. He's an electrical industry SME, instructor, international instructor, and technical editor for the International Association of Electric Inspectors.
Jonathan is also a member of the National Fire Protection Association's NEC Code Making Panel 14 for Hazardous Locations for the 2011 and 2014 NEC. And he's on various different committees and works on projects including those with Underwriters' Laboratories, NEIS, and he also is a member of the Electric Sign Coalition of the ISA; representing the inspectors association. And he spent 16 years in Arizona as an electrical inspector, chief electrical inspector, and assistant building official for a town in Arizona.
He holds numerous certifications and a master electrical license for commercial and residential. And he's a past section president of the Southwestern Section of IAEI, and past chapter president of the Central Arizona Chapter of IAEI. And he currently attends meetings and is a member of the Texas Chapter of IAEI.
So without further ado, we'll let him get started and walk us through an electric inspector and the job that they do. Thank you very much.
JONATHAN CADD: Good morning, Linda. And good morning, everyone. Thank you for the kind accolades.
As we go through here, Sandra. If you'll help me out and switch to the next slide?
SANDRA LOI: Okay.
JONATHAN CADD: Let's take a look at the roles of these AHJs. Now, speaking a little bit earlier with Sandra and with Linda, I know that a lot of folks out there listening work with cities, towns, states, federal government. Things like that.
Having spent a few years myself in that same occupation, one of the things that stands out most in my mind, especially with the building department, is promoting safety—for not just the owners and the occupants throughout the built environment, and the homeowners, the commercial, out in the public. Things like that. We want to promote and facilitate, of course, economic growth with some type of stable industry. Especially for our small towns, our local towns.
A lot of those run on what's called home rule. For those of you that are in small towns, where they don't actually have mandates, or any other type of local mandate. Where they actually have a mayor and council system, and they actually adopt local codes such as the NEC, the International Building Code, the International Residential Code, and things like that.
One of the biggest things, I think, for the AHJ's, is close communication, communication, communication. Letting folks out there know that it's not always that you can't fight city hall. How many times have we all heard that? And for those of us that worked for a city hall, if you will, know that that's the farthest from the truth.
Most of us that do that still, and that have done that and retired from that occupation, know that we're continuously striving to educate and communicate with folks out there to look and enjoy these new technologies.
With all the new technology out there a lot of folks think, well, you know, it's nice to go down and buy one of those new electrical vehicles. But now what happens when I get it home? Can I plug it in? Will it charge? How does it charge? Things like that.
So I think one of the things, one of the most important things, and probably one of the most important messages that we need to get out there is that, hey, your local AHJ is a friend. Your local AHJ is a mentor and is a helping hand. A second set of eyes, if you will, that guards the gate to make sure that once the installation is done, the inspections are all taken care of, everything's final, and you go on your daily business. That it's just a matter of plugging that car in.
Plugging that vehicle in. Using that piece of equipment. Making sure that that's all installed to the national requirements for installation and manufacturer's installation requirements. And at the end of the day, it's a pleasurable experience. Wouldn't that be good?
SANDRA LOI: Okay.
JONATHAN CADD: Next slide, please.
SANDRA LOI: Okay.
JONATHAN CADD: Field goal objectives. To allow us to unite strong partnerships with many of the leaders that are out here in our local industry. The National Electrical Contractors Association, National Fire Protection Association, International Code Conference, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, NGATC, IEC, Underwriters' Laboratories, General Motors, and many others. We all have a common goal.
What is that common goal? Well, most of us on the EVITP program, which is the Electrical Vehicle Industry Training Partners, have a singular mission. The technology is here. How do we refer to this technology? How do we facilitate? How do we communicate? And how do we educate?
We want to make sure, again, we have safe installation, inspection, and for all to be able to enjoy our electrical vehicles. And there's some nice ones out there.
Next.
Not just to the electrical industry, but with ICC, IAPMO, ASHRAE, and others. We want to facilitate communication. Again, education to promulgate. Let everybody know. Get the word out there. That, again, we're here to help you out.
ICC with they're building codes, with their residential codes, and there are many other codes. National Fire Protection Association with their many codes and standards. And many others are all out there with, again, a singular mission. And that's to let the folks know out there with these brand-new technologies that hey, it's a lot simpler than you think. We're only a phone call away.
Next please.
Where do we start? Where did this whole big thing start? We talk about, I've got this brand-new car in my garage. I got a cord and tag. How does all this happen?
Well, I'm at the dealership, and I got my cord and manual and all my installation books. And I've got a big old three-ring binder. And I'm looking at this thing and what in the hell? Now what do I do? Now I've got this home. It's mine. How do I start? Your local AHJ.
Your local AHJ should be the first place that you start for that communication, and to start that education. You'll notice most of your local AHJs, a phone call, especially with today's technology, an email away; are going to have programs.
As we roll out these to the EVSE and EVITP programs, our outreach program is touching bases with those local AHJs. Those building officials, those chief electrical inspectors, those county, those states, those town facilities. Those villages out there—not just the big cities, but out in the rural areas as well. To let them know that hey, we're here to support you.
Number one, we need to make sure that we follow requirements of the National Electrical Code. Many, many men and women have spent many, many hours, long hours, volunteering their time to make sure that this code would be a living document. And that it keeps up with all the national requirements; as well as the technology that's coming out daily.
Along with those requirements; installation requirements. Financial Electrical Contractors Association has what they call a National Electrical Installation Standards. These are national standards that guide the installers. Once the installer's been trained, there's also guidelines out there to further those installations. To make sure that it's not just a compliant, a co-compliant installation, but a safe installation as well.
Next?
What are some of the basics? Well, a good safe installation. A good safe inspection. An overall experience with unique technology. What does it start with? Again, communication. And clear, concise education. We start by going down to the local AHJ. Knocking on that door. Making that first face-to-face communication.
Put the face with that name. Put the face of that person who's going to be that mentor. That person to help you out at city hall. The person who's going to help you build those bridges for that communication and for that education. How do these work? How do these vehicles; if I want to add another one? If I want to add something bigger? If I want to buy another one, how do I start now that I've got this one?
The knowledge of the product standards and the manufacturer's information and installation requirements are vital components. All of that, part and parcel, again, to the standards, the national electrical requirements, and the installation requirements.
We talk about installation. IAEI, as well as all of its partners, spend countless hours building and training installers to make sure that when the installer does get out, those electricians out in the trade when they do see this new technology, especially in Article 625 of the National Electrical Code—and we're talking about charging stations—that we're on top. Up to the minute with the singular vision: code-compliant, safe installations. A very, very strong platform.
There's a master trainers program out there currently with EVITP. Several trainers have been trained out there to further this education, and they're out there doing that currently.
So, not just the inspectors. While all these vehicles are being built right now, in factories across America, while people are purchasing these vehicles, training, communication, and education continues daily from the master installers to all their installers throughout the nation.
As it trickles down, that same education is being brought forth to inspectors. Inspectors and installers and that one big partnership—as that big team as we mentioned earlier—are onboard to help consumers.
The inspection portion. Again, same type of training arena. Training with the same folks. A lot of the folks that have come out of the installation arena have now become trainers; are now inspectors. It's a natural progress. And actually we talk quite regularly with each other as far as installers and inspectors.
That gives the homeowner a little bit of ease. When we talk about buying these new vehicles and purchasing this new technology, which, as we all know, is a significant purchase, we want to feel assured that there's someone there to guide us. We want to make sure that everybody's on the same page.
This, again, is our partnership through IAEI and our industry partners along with Clean Cities. To make sure that everybody's on the same page so that that help is actually there. We're only a phone call away.
Continual promotion providing daily support system for a safe and compliant installation. When a person first buys an electric vehicle, if you will, first thing they think of is, okay, I've got the electrical vehicle. I've got a plug. I've got this cord in a nice snazzy case in my trunk. Do I have the infrastructure to be able to, number one, purchase? Number two, charge? And to be able to efficiently use this technology?
Again, a phone call away. A simple visit starts the permit process. Does it require a permit? Is my house ready at this point? Can I look back? These are all questions we want to ask of the AHJ, of the inspector, of the installer, of the person that built the house.
Many homes today are being built with chargers incorporated with the level of power necessary to charge the electrical vehicles; incorporated. And so this is not just secret information, by the way. It's being done unbeknownst to most that are out there getting ready to make that purchase. So this is something that's happening daily. So that information is out there; readily available.
Again, that inspector. Say, how old is my home? Is my home ready for this? Does my home need to be upgraded? And if so, how do we upgrade that? How about the permit process?
You'll find that most folks...
SANDRA LOI: Hey, Jonathan?
JONATHAN CADD: Yes.
SANDRA LOI: Sorry. This is Sandra. I just want to make sure I'm on the right slide. Can you tell me what number you're on right now?
JONATHAN CADD: Yeah. Page eight. Only a Phone Call Away.
SANDRA LOI: What number is that?
JONATHAN CADD: That's slide number eight.
SANDRA LOI: Okay. Perfect. Good. Just want to make sure. Thank you.
JONATHAN CADD: M-hmm. Okay.
Oh, Sandra. I'm sorry. Slide number nine.
SANDRA LOI: You got it.
JONATHAN CADD: Okay. Perfect. Thank you.
So once we start with the permitting process planned to each and every jurisdiction who'll have their own process, there's a lot of model processes out there. I know that the Department of Energy's got a model permit process and several others.
Most folks, again, will have their own permit process that they've either had for a long time or something they're implementing. Of course now, electrical vehicles are brand new, so this is going to be an inclusion to perhaps a process that's already working, or something that's maybe new but that's your first step. A set of plans.
Typically, the house is already built. If it's a brand-new home, of course, that would be included along with the building process. Some of the questions you'd ask: I'm building a brand-new home. I would like to incorporate an electrical vehicle. What are some of the parameters? What are some of the things I should be aware of?
Or, I'm getting ready to purchase a home. The home's already built. Is it possible to have somebody come out and take a look at the home? To make sure this thing, the home itself, is actually ready for electrical vehicle use? Or, can it be retrofitted? And can it be implemented in my home?
A lot of jurisdictions—for a fee—will come out. Of course they all have different policies. Will come out and take a look at your home. Your installers, you can call your installers. They've been trained— that's part of the Master Assessment program with EVITP. They've trained to make those site assessments. Trained to let you know, can you? Can it happen? Is it feasible? And, what needs to be done.
So on both sides of that, again, it's that partnership with the installers and the inspectors and our industry partners; communicating daily. You need to go to an installer or inspector; either/or. To your local electrician is a good resource.
Your local AHJ, building partner. Another good resource. A lot of the dealers are dealing with local, have local resources, and are dealing with national players that are making equipment and also installing. So there is a vast network out there with respect to permits, permit requirements, information, electrical information. As far as, does my house, will my house, can my house sustain new equipment? Is there new equipment in the house that's already ready for the electrical vehicle?
Once that happens, very simply, a set of plans is turned in. Or, if that element is included with your electrical plans, as they go through planning and it gets reviewed, it goes out to permit. Once the permit's obtained, it basically becomes; it's just a matter of inspections and installations.
Installer goes out. Makes the installation. And, at any time during the project, we always welcome, as an AHJ, questions, concerns. And we always try to say no question is a stupid question because questions are just a matter of educational information. It could be that one question. It might be that one little piece of information that might save a life. So we always encourage questions. We always encourage, ask that question.
If that's the question you didn't get the answer for, please don't be shy. With that network, once our inspections happen, we get a new vehicle that pulls in. All the inspections are finalized. All the manufacture installation data is looked at. All the product manufacturers. All the listings. All the categories. All the standards are taken care of. All the industry requirements. As far as, you know, installation, requirements, location, space, things like that, are taken care of, and once that happens, basically a green tag is issued and we're up and on our way.
How do we sustain this? Once the vehicle's in, once we've got that relationship, and those neighbors are talking, hey, I just got this brand-new vehicle. You won't believe how easy it was for me to get this thing put in. Went down to the building department, talked to my local installer, got a phone book and computer to help me with the card. It was a win/win situation.
One of our goals here at IAEI is not just to promote and implement the installation and inspection of EVSE, but the future sustainment as well. How we keep it up and going. How do we sustain this by using our renewable technology that will soon be available to us?
How do we continue this education and promotion and implementation so that as these new technologies do approach themselves? That we know how to deal with them, and the infrastructure is always there? So instead of putting the cart before the horse, if you will, this time the horse is where it's supposed to be—and the cart's following behind.
This has pretty much been our presentation this morning for the AHJs, installation, and inspection. Any questions which anybody might have at the time?
COORDINATOR: If you'd like to ask a question from the phone line at this time, please press star, then one, and record your name at the prompt. Please unmute your line when you record your name. To withdraw the question, star two.
Once again for any phone questions, it's star one.
SANDRA LOI: Jonathan, while we're waiting for our first question, I did receive one on the Web. And the question is, how do we ensure that AHJs are not being overly burdensome with their requirements?
JONATHAN CADD: What we always like to tell folks, especially on the consumer's end, there's nothing the matter with when an inspector comes out to the home, if asking the inspector, can you show me those requirements? This is part and parcel of an inspector's job. This is part and parcel of an installer's and inspector's training.
When we have an inspection like that, or when a question like that comes up, that's, again, one of the issues with, you know, city hall. And you can't fight city hall. And all the nasty rumors that you hear about city hall. And guess what?
There is a human element out there. And every once in a while, you are going to have those folks out there that are maybe over-burdensome. And you know what that comes from? Not fully understanding the question, or the implementation, or the surrounding, or how something's going to be installed.
I always say, as the chief electrical inspector—I was a field inspector myself and a building official—if you have any questions that aren't getting answered there in the field, go up the chain, because that is one of the responsibilities of having jurisdiction and by having a building department.
You know, that is the responsibility to the citizenry, is to make sure that we are providing a safe, safe— completely safe—for the occupants and all the owners in the built environments.
So if you are in something like that, please, you know, I would always encourage everybody, you know, go one step up. You know, find out what the issue is. Give us a call. Maybe we can help you out with a question. If it's a concern, maybe we can be a mediator. Maybe there's just something that the inspector or installer's not seeing. Something like that.
A lot of times we have found and I've found out over many, many, many years being on both sides of this fence, but a lot of times it's, oh, I didn't read on. You know, to the inspector's defense, and it's for the installer, I hope you know, I saw the exception. But I just didn't keep reading, and I thought it read something.
And that's, again, that's one of our biggest goals, is communication and education. To be able to communicate. To be able to be that helping hand that's out there that you want to approach. That you don't fear because of that over-burdened, you know, of that fear of making me do something three or four times, or making me do three times as much that didn't really necessarily have to be done.
Does that answer the question?
SANDRA LOI: Thank you, Jonathan. Tori, do we have any on the phone lines?
COORDINATOR: I'm showing none at this time.
SANDRA LOI: Okay. Linda, did you want to move on to our next presenter?
LINDA BLUESTEIN: Yes. Yes. I think that's a great idea. Okay. We'll move along to our next presenter. It's Fred Wagner, who's the program director for Energetics, Incorporated. And Energetics is the one who completed the training video for inspectors and installers, which is now housed on our Clean Cities TV.
If you haven't been to Clean Cities TV, it's got a lot of information on it. It's www.cleancities.tv. Cleancities all one word.TV. And then, if you look under training, and you look under EVSE residential charging installation, you'll find a video. It's about a 30-minute video.
It's divided up into segments including an introduction, an overview, technology description of various EVSE—which is done by Ted Bohn at Argonne National Laboratory—information about the NEC and how that fits in with EVSE. A particular article that pertains to EVSE. Installation of EVSE. Inspection. A wrap-up. And best practices. And different resources that you can look at when you're done looking at the video to help give you more background and framing of the issue.
So I think it's really important to let people know that this particular video's up there. It was created in response to suggestions from the automotive industry and EVSE manufacturers as being the number one type of training that Clean Cities could help with; was of inspectors for the equipment and also installers.
So this was done for that community. And we're planning sort of a major rollout to different organizations of those starting in the very near future. So you'll probably be crossing paths with this video at some other time. If you haven't looked at it in the meantime, you'll want to go back and review it. And take a close look at what's in it, because I think it's very instructional and has a lot of really good information.
Fred Wagner has provided technical and programmatic assistance to the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for the last 20 years. I myself have been working with him for many, many years on different projects.
He's got many years of consulting experience in heat engine, hybrid electric drive, and fuel cell technologies, hydrogen and alternative fuels, heavy truck systems optimization, and vehicular materials.
He provides support to us and is a great resource. And I would like to have Fred begin his presentation and help walk us through the video so we understand its importance and what's in it, and the logic behind the information in that video. Thanks, Fred.
FRED WAGNER: Okay. Thank you, Linda. I hope everybody can hear me. Good afternoon. And a late good morning to you folks on the West Coast.
Sandra, if you could go to slide number two please, Overview.
SANDRA LOI: Okay.
FRED WAGNER: I think Linda spoke to much of the information here on the Overview slide, but I just want to add a few pieces to it.
As many of you already know, it's so very important for the electric vehicle infrastructure to be rolled out as close as possible and parallel with the vehicles that are now coming out from the auto manufacturers. And the home recharging element of this is pretty much being deemed, at the outset, to be the most important component. Followed closely behind by workplace charging and appropriate levels of public charging, if you will.
And that's kind of one of the drivers, as Linda said, behind the development of this video. Was to provide information, if you will, in this case, in particular to the electrical contractors, electricians, the inspectors, and also the consumers of the process. To undertake, to be able to put in electric vehicle charging infrastructure in single family residential homes and to be able to do it in a way that's done safely. In a way which is a pleasurable consumer experience. Because if it's not done real well, it can lead to somewhat of a negative impact on electric drive vehicles in general.
So that's behind everything—is basically the driving reason for putting together this video that Clean Cities has had.
Now, as Linda mentioned, the video itself is basically broken into seven sections as you can see there. Listed under the video outline. I'm going to talk a little bit more in detail about four of those sections—; the technology description, the NEC article 625, inspection, and installation.
You may be wondering, why is there an overview? Well, the reason for that was, is in the discussions with some of the electrical community. They had mentioned that, even though the video's, you know, a slightly more technical video targeting them, they were very interested in the overall picture. The broad picture of what's going on in electric vehicle; electric drive vehicle world. So we've added that section in.
Pat Davis headed that section. And Pat provides a wonderful overview of the electric drive history, if you will, and the vehicles rolling out. The importance of electrical infrastructure, and the importance of the electrical community. So if you were wondering why that section is in there, that's basically the reason.
Sandra, if you could move on to the third slide, Technology Description, that would be great.
SANDRA LOI: Okay.
FRED WAGNER: Okay. This section right here, as Linda mentioned, Ted Bohn of the Argonne National Lab runs this section. It's about 5 to 6 minutes long and basically this is kind of a technical section. A warm-up. A familiarization, if you will, with EVSE equipment and installation.
And Ted covers a number of areas in this particular segment, and provides an overview of some of the pieces of equipment; potential EVSE equipment that are out there. And a few of the things he speaks to is this idea of, number one, of the J1772 connector.
I'm sure many, if not most of you all, are familiar with that. But basically, that is the SAE connector which has been adopted essentially as the Level 2 connector between the EVSE system and the vehicle. It's the connector, you know, for 240 volts up to a maximum of 80 amps.
That's the connector which has been adopted for Level 2 AC charging within the United States. And Ted provides a brief overview of that.
He also then goes into the basic idea of Level 1, 2, and 3 AC and DC charging levels. Level 1, as Jonathan mentioned a couple of minutes ago, Level 1 is just the standard in any electric drive vehicle that's purchased now. You will find in the car already a Level 1 connector, which is your standard 120-volt, 15-20 amp line that will allow you to plug in to a garage, or anywhere you may be. Does not provide for a quick charge. But it does provide for a charge.
The focus of this video overall is really the area that is most applicable to residential charging in general—is the Level 2, 240-volt AC. Typically, the 30 to 40 amp Level 2 charging. And Ted provides an overview of that, as well as a brief description of some of the DC charging as well, which isn't as applicable in the residential realm.
But another area that's covered in this section, the Technology Description, is this whole idea of harmonization. You know, what is harmonization? Well, basically in the four principal areas of the world with regards to this—the States, Europe, Japan, and China—there's ongoing efforts to try to harmonize the connectors, and the standards, and things that are going on. And there's been some successes in those areas.
The United States is harmonized with Europe on a couple of the areas with regards to Level 2 AC charging. They're getting closer with regards to a combination connector for a combination of Level 2 AC and DC. And a lot of effort is undergoing working with the Japanese and the Chinese, as well with regards to harmonizing standards with those entities as well.
But it's definitely a work in progress. And Ted provides a nice overview of what's going on in those particular areas.
A fourth area that's covered in this segment of the video is this idea of batteries, chargers, and charging stations. Sometimes there's confusion of what does that really entail. What's the difference between, you know, a charger and the charging station? And Ted provides some guidance in that particular area.
You know, the charging station, basically being the electrical source in the EVSE, the charger typically is found on the vehicle itself. Converts the AC electricity from the wall into DC electricity through sophisticated electronics so it can be used by the battery. And then the batteries themselves, the energy storage system in which the energy is stored in. So Ted provides an overview of that.
And finally, this issue of energy management or energy measurement. How do you measure how much energy is used by the EV? Well, typically it's measured off-board. Typically that's usually what's happened. And the idea of metering. You know, how do you meter it? Is it metered along with the house? Is it metered separately?
This idea of what's known as sub-metering, which allows the utility company to follow how much goes to the vehicle as opposed to the house. And I'll talk a little bit more about that in a few moments.
Sandra, if you can move on to the next slide, that would be great.
Okay, NEC article 625. Now the NEC, or National Electrical Code, the National Fire Protection Association, or NFPA, basically has the responsibility for the National Electrical Code, which is basically a cyclical document which is updated every 3 years. There's a 2011 version.
Typically, your local and state jurisdictions, they adopt the National Electrical Code. Although sometimes it's a little behind. A lot of the jurisdictions, you know, are still working off the 2008 version of the National Electrical Code.
Now with regards to EVSE installation and residential application, there is an article within the National Electrical Code, it's Article 625, which talks specifically to residential applications for EVSE. And that's talked about in detail in this segment of the video.
One of the first things to keep in mind is that has the specifics with regards to EVSE but there's other elements in the National Electrical Code in Chapters 1 through 4 I believe that talk about some of the basic requirements. That actually support the specific requirements in Article 625.
For example, in Chapter 1 of the National Electrical Code, they talk about things, about listed and certified equipment. You know, has the equipment been listed by Underwriters' Laboratory? And so and so forth.
Chapter 2 talks about some specific electrical issues; what's known as over-current protection. For example, how much, if you want to put it this way, safety factor do you need in a particular branch circuit to incur safety?
And in Chapters 3 and 4, talk about things like wiring, conductor sizes, and wiring methods. So these are kind of a supporting foundation for the specifics that are found in Article 625.
So in the video, Mike Johnston of the National Electrical Contractors Association, or NECA, he speaks during this entire section. He talks through about the specifics in the National Electrical Code in Article 625. And a few of the specifics that are talked about there, again, is this idea of all materials and devices and equipment must be listed, you know, and certified.
Another specific thing is an idea of what's known as an interlock. An interlock's basically a safety device that requires that, when you have an electrical connector like J1772 for example, that the power has to be disengaged before an individual can remove the connector from a vehicle.
Some other specific elements are this idea of plug- and cord-connected EVSE systems. Now, for typical Level 1 EVSE systems, again, ones that run off say, you know, 100–120-volt wall socket, 15 or 20 amps, they can all be plug- and cord-connected. And typically are, so that's typically not a problem.
Now for your Level 2 connectors. The 240-volt, you know, 30 to 40 amps typically, systems; they most often are what's known as hard wired into the system, but they can be plug- and cord-connected if they meet certain requirements. And that's identified in the video as well.
So a number of these different items are identified in Article 625. Another one is the idea of, if you have a continuous load, now a continuous load as is defined electrically is it's a load that's being used for more than 3 hours, and an EVSE system typically is considered a continuous load. So the specific requirements of what needed to be done as far as branch circuit requirements for continuous load applications.
So basically this section runs through, in relative detail, the requirements of 625. Some of the supporting requirements in Chapters 1 through 4 in the National Electrical Code.
And finally, at the end of the section, there's some discussion, as Jonathan had mentioned, with this idea of what's known as National Electrical Installation Standards. There's a NECA, what's known as NECA 413, okay, National Electrical Installation Standards. And this is basically a portfolio, if you will, of standards which are complementary to the National Electrical Code.
The National Electrical Code is pretty much the minimum. That's the minimum requirement that jurisdictions have to abide by when you install EVSE systems. What the National Electrical Installation Standards is, it's kind of step above, if you will. Provides additional steps, if you will, to provide for the best possible installation that you can have. And that's discussed in some detail as well.
So that's basically what the video goes over for the NEC Article 625. Sandra, if you'd move onto slide number five, Installation.
Now some of this will be a little bit redundant with what Jonathan mentioned, but the important thing to keep in mind with regards to installation is that there are a number of parties that are involved and communication is really key.
You've got a number of folks involved here. You have the electrical contractor, who then chooses an electrician. You have the inspectors involved. You have the AHJs involved. You have the utilities, who also play a role. You often have an auto dealer.
Peripherally, you have the equipment manufacturers, the EVSE manufacturers, the auto dealers. So there's a number of parties that are involved in this process. And what we try to do in the video is kind of provide clarity to this and just provide steps to follow to go through.
Now the electrical contractor is really the focal point; is really the hub as we said right here. They're really kind of the person that typically, along with the consumer, the purchaser, but really the electrical contractor who is talking predominantly with all these parties. The electrical contractor is talking with the AHJs, talking with the building inspector, and typically is required to coordinate all the different elements that take place to go through this process.
It's also important to keep in mind the idea of the utilities. To contact them very early in the process, and the reason for that is simple. Number one, utilities with their rate plans are going to provide guidance and some data points, if you will, as to what is the best EVSE application for you for your particular need.
Another reason is there's certain issues they need technically on their side to know about. For example, their capacity of transformers in the local area. If, all of a sudden, you and two of your neighbors decide you're going to put in a Level 2 EVSE charging system into your home and the utility doesn't know that, potentially there could be a real problem in your area. So it's very, very important that utilities are brought in early in this process for that reason.
And also because of other issues, like demand/response. You know, demand/response has typically been used for like water heaters and air conditioners, but many of the utilities are also looking at it potentially moving forward with regards to electric vehicle installation as well; charging installation.
Now this section then steps through basically a step-by-step process for the installation. And what basically kind of guides what the best choice is going to be is. It's going to be, what electric drive vehicle has been chosen by the customer? What are their driving habits? Do they drive a lot? Do they drive a little? Do they drive every day? How far do they drive? And what are the rate plans that the local utilities offer?
Utilities across the country all have different rate plans. Some of them don't have any special options at this current time for EV charging. Many of them do, especially in California. So that all goes into play as to what the electrician will recommend and what the consumer will choose ultimately as the appropriate EVSE. What appropriate level. What's the rate plan they're going to use. And also how they're going to handle their metering application.
So what does the electrical contractor do? After, first of all, keeping good coordination and communication with all the entities, especially the AHJs, the inspectors, the utility, and the consumers, the electrical contractor will come in and do some of the basic electrical work. They will do load calculations, for example, on the house. They'll determine how big is your panel? Is it 100 amps? Is it 200 amps? What is the requirements of your home?
You may have a 200-amp house, but because of all the electrical requirements in your house—you have a heated pool, you have microwaves, you have a sauna—it may not be enough. You may need to have a new panel.
Or it's possible that if you have a 100-amp house, but you don't have a lot of electrical devices—you live up in the mountains, you don't need air conditioning, whatever the case may be—a 100-amp panel may be enough.
So basically the electrical contractor will do an assessment, a load assessment and load calculations, and determine what modifications are needed to your electrical system, if any. No modifications may be necessary. The electrical contractor will then determine what are the appropriate wiring methods to be followed and also develop some site plans.
Now, as far as your metering for your house, this idea of where I have on the slide, scenarios. There's basically four possible scenarios that can be followed right now and not all of them are applicable in all areas of the country. Some of them aren't applicable at this time.
The first one is what's known as whole house metering. And basically, in that case, if you have an electrical charging system in your garage and you're charging your vehicle, if you have what's known as a whole house metering system, all your electrical loads are evaluated in the same way with the same rate. And there's no separating out your dryer from your refrigerator from your EV. It's all basically lumped together. Under the same rate. Under the same meter. That's what's known as a whole house scenario.
The next one is what's known as time-of-use. And basically, in this case as well, everything is lumped together. The electric drive vehicle charging is lumped with your refrigerator, is lumped with your air conditioning or with your computer, but you have different rates depending on the time of day. Typically, at night it's lower rates and during the day the rate for charging is higher.
A third option is that you have a two-meter approach. And basically here, you're metering your measurement of your energy for your electric vehicle is metered separately. It's metered separately from the rest of the house, which allows you to have a different rate for the electric vehicle as opposed to the balance of the house. Okay. And this typically requires a new panel, or what's known as a socket box, to put on a second meter.
The final option is what's known as sub-metering. And this basically is a meter within the system. Okay? Most areas of the country right now, from my understanding, don't permit sub-metering. I believe some areas of California, near San Diego in particular, but this basically allows you to do the same thing as a two-meter system.
You can meter your energy for your electrical vehicle separately; be charged at a different rate, but it's a simpler, more cost-effective way to meter the energy that's used into the electric vehicle. But again, that area particularly is really just being looked at. Many of the California Public Utilities Commission actually is really just kind of looking at it in detail now.
So once the electrical contractor and the consumer go through all these steps, the electrical contractor will make a recommendation. And it's recommended that they provide at least two options to the consumer. Not just one, but two different options based on these elements of Level 1 or Level 2 charging. Whatever the rate plan is and whatever the metering option that is chosen.
And keep in mind that each one of these options has a little bit different life-cycle cost and a little bit different up-front cost. Obviously, a 2-meter option is going to cost a little bit more for the installation cost up front; so all that has to be taken into account.
The electrical contractor will then provide the options to the consumer, who then would need to make the choice; whatever they've decided. So once they've decided on what equipment they're going to use, what metering they're going to use, what the rate plans they're going to use; you then move to the next step, as Jonathan mentioned. And that's the permitting step.
The electrical contractor will then contact the local AHJ, the local building official. They will go down and start the permitting process. Most AHJs, most jurisdictions require this. They require things. They have to be permitted and inspected, most of them.
Generally an upgrade for an EVSE system is considered just what is known as a standard electrical upgrade. Just like putting in a new dryer outlet. Typically that's what it's considered. And if the local contractor, the contractor the electrician shows up with basically everything that's needed, you know, if they have the load diagrams and they have their licensing with them, they have the wiring methods and the site plans; typically getting the permit is a relatively straightforward and expeditious process.
That's the next step. Now, not all jurisdictions currently have a permit for this type of application. And the Department of Energy recognizing that, has developed what's called a DOE model permit that provides some guidance, if you will, to local jurisdictions who may not be quite as familiar with this particular area.
And what the DOE model permit looks at, is it looks at some of the applicable codes and installation requirements and provides them in one document. It's not meant in any way necessarily to supersede any of the forms or procedures that are already in place locally, but to provide the guidance, if you will. A starting point for some of the local jurisdictions to get going if they need that.
So the electrical contractor will then get a permit. He or she will conduct the installation. They will do this in accordance with all standard electrical procedures, safety procedures using whatever personal, what they call PPE, personal protective equipment necessary, and following what's known as lockout, tag out procedures.
And then ultimately, the metering requirements at the end, you know, will basically have already now been determined. And then will be put in the meter ultimately at the end is put in by the utility company after everything has been inspected.
Okay, Sandra, so going on to the next slide, Inspection. Once the electrical contractor has completed the installation, he or she will call for an inspection as required by the local building code.
And this is when the inspector will come down. And typically the contractor and the inspectors have a pretty close working relationship. They do this all the time. This is nothing new, nothing exotic. It's pretty standard procedure. They work together all the time.
And so the local inspector will come down. You know, having it inspected is generally a pretty good idea and in most jurisdictions it is required as it stands right now.
The inspector, who as Jonathan mentioned frequently, will have had an earlier life as being an electrician or a master electrician; will be very familiar with the process typically. They will come down, they will conduct an inspection, they will follow the local and state and national code requirements.
There's a number of steps they will go through. The first thing typically is they'll just look for the location. Where has the EVSE been placed? Has it been placed in an area that potentially can flood? Is it high enough above the ground? Are there tripping hazards by where it's been placed on the wall? Has it been placed in a way so the cords aren't going to be tripped and pulled a lot of times? Things like that will be looked at by the inspector.
They will also look to see that the equipment has all the appropriate listing marks. You know, make sure everything is certified; the name plate is correct. They will examine that the installation and wiring has been carried out, you know, appropriately and properly. They will examine all the diagrams. As I mentioned earlier, the load diagrams that's been developed, the calculation, the wiring diagrams, the site diagram. They will look at all that.
They will follow, you know, typical safety procedures as well because what they'll do is they will ask the electrical contractor to open the panel up and they'll follow typical safety lockout, tag out/lockout procedures, that will be all be followed.
And subsequently, if everything is in order and everything's found to be in good shape, they'll get what's known as a green tag, and the job will be released.
Now ultimately at this point, as I mentioned earlier, if meter work is required, if they do require a second meter or that that's the option that can be supported by the local utility and that's been chosen, after the job has been inspected, okay, that's when the utility will be contacted to install the appropriate meter.
The utility company comes, they install the meter, and then the consumer is set to go. Everything's ready to go. Everything's been inspected. And basically they're ready to charge. Ready to charge the electric vehicle.
I'd like to stop right here for a moment, if I may, before going into the last slide talking about, you know, promoting the video, the video for residential installation of EVSE, and ask if there's any questions with regards to what's in the video or with regards to the process. So if there's any questions at this point, I would be happy to entertain them.
COORDINATOR: Once again, to ask a question, press star then one.
FRED WAGNER: Sandra, I'll just wait here a moment till you tell me I should move on. Just to make sure nothing's come in.
SANDRA LOI: Okay.
COORDINATOR: We do have a question from Donna Potts.
FRED WAGNER: Okay.
DONNA POTTS: Hi. Good afternoon. Regarding the inspection step with the inspectors.
FRED WAGNER: Yes, ma'am.
DONNA POTTS: The equipment design of the majority of Level 2 EVSE models, the design does have the cords just kind of loosely wrapped around an extension or a holder. Very few designs have the cords completely removed. So when you mentioned a tripping hazard as an example of, you know, something that the inspector looks for, are they going to just take that to the extreme? Like if the cord is stretched across a sidewalk that's a tripping hazard but if it's stored the way it should be, then that's safe enough even though it isn't like locked in?
Because we've had some—I'm with a utility and we've had some customers actually kind of surprised or concerned. That, you know, the first user might not wrap the cord all the way back into place so that when the next person comes by, you know, somebody without an EV, the cord is going to be hanging around loosely and could be conceived as a tripping hazard.
So I'm just wondering how you think the inspector is going to make that judgment call?
FRED WAGNER: Well, I guess I'll say a few words. I may defer to Jonathan Cadd here, he may know better, but I think from my perspective it'll be an individual inspector call. But, in general, what I think they're saying is there's different ways in which you can mount the EVSE system on the walls in a dwelling within the garage; some of them which are less than appropriate.
You know, obviously the cord is going to be out and in the car when it's charging at nighttime. And obviously, people being people, they're not always going to wrap the cord back up. They're going to be in a hurry to get to work and things are going to be left out, you know, along the garage.
But I think it's going to be more is, has it been put in a place that minimizes I guess the hazards of the cord laying out. And minimizes the damage that can happen over a period of time to the cord if it is laid out.
Just for example, an obvious example, if the charging port is on, say, the left side of the vehicle, and the EVSE has been mounted on the far right side, that probably doesn't make a lot of sense. So that may be a particular problem. Or, if the charging port is in the front, the EVSE has been put all the way by the garage door in the back. Probably not a good idea. Things like that. Things that just don't really make a whole lot of sense as far as location.
Jonathan, do you have any more comments on that on how the inspectors may look at that particular issue?
JONATHAN CADD: Yeah. Fred, I'd have to agree with what you said. It's going to be a case-by-case scenario and there again, with, you know, this is new technology obviously but once this has become old hat, if you will, kind of like GFCIs, but site assessments will be taken care of by the installers, electricians.
And then again, for those consumers that have had an electrical vehicle, that have had perhaps those issues in the past, there'll be one of those oh, well, you know, I remember I mounted it like your scenario. I've got a charger port on the left-hand side and a device on the right-hand side and it's now hanging over the back of my car.
There again, these devices; they're very, very hardy. Tested and tested and listed. The cords and the connectors and terminations have all been run over several times. They show scenarios in the testing with them being run over.
And there's going to be, at some point in time, when it's just going to have to be, you know, good housekeeping by the homeowner. That's one of those things where a little bit of common sense, I know that a lot of time in the inspection world that's like taboo, but ultimately, if it's installed for the code departments and for the manufacturer's installation instructions, it's been listed and tested; at some point in time we'll have to release that piece of equipment once we've ensured, of course, that it is safe for its daily use.
FRED WAGNER: Okay. Are there any other questions by chance?
COORDINATOR: We do have a question from Jonathan Oberlie.
FRED WAGNER: Okay.
JONATHAN OBERLIE: Yes, sir. Just toward the end you were talking about how once the inspector is done, you bring the utility in and then they come in and can put in the appropriate meter. Is it typical, in your experience, that the utility is not brought in until after everything's installed and inspected?
FRED WAGNER: Well, John, I guess as I mentioned, I guess a few moments ago, it's actually very important that utility is contacted up in the front end of the process so they basically know what the plans are. For example, if there are a couple of these systems go in it could overload the local transformers in the neighborhood. They need to know that.
They obviously are the ones that determine what the rate plan options are so it's actually very important for the consumer and the electrical contractor to be in coordination with the utility before any work actually takes place. The utility is definitely an integral entity in this whole process.
JONATHAN CADD: Yeah, Fred. Just to jump on for just a moment, my apologies. Appreciate that.
FRED WAGNER: Okay.
JONATHAN CADD: Yeah, Fred. Just to jump on the back of that real quick. You can't say it enough. A very, very vital part of the whole overall process, especially if you're on a brand-new subdivision well, the utility might have had some well, guess what? We might have some electrical vehicles in here and made concessions in the transformers and things like that.
But when you go into the older subdivisions—we've got a lot of them here in Texas built in the 30s and the 40s—you definitely want to make sure that when this thing's charging all of sudden we don't introduce current on the grid. You know, things like that. We want to make sure that it's safe so you definitely want to involve the utilities.
And you might find out that you might have to upgrade your service, and do some other things too along with that.
FRED WAGNER: Exactly.
SANDRA LOI: All right. Thank you. Fred, I have one that came in over the Web and it's…you may have already covered it or alluded to it before.
FRED WAGNER: Okay.
SANDRA LOI: But the question is, as this industry's still new, do you require that all EVSE has UL certification?
FRED WAGNER: Yes. In short, the answer's yes. To my knowledge, in Article 625 of the National Electrical Code, you have to use listed equipment. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. It needs to be listed equipment.
SANDRA LOI: Great.
JONATHAN CADD: And just to jump on that, Fred, yeah, when you spoke about going back to the basic premise of Chapters 1 through 4 in the NEC, one of the very basic premises, installation requirements, 1103A and 3B where it just flat says it will be listed, identified suitable for use, and will be installed per the manufacturer's installation instructions.
SANDRA LOI: Great, thank you both. Tori, do we have any more questions on the line?
COORDINATOR: Yes, thank you. Our next question is from Vanessa.
VANESSA: Hi. Thank you. My question was concerning the transformer issue. Knowing that I will probably be the first person in the neighborhood with one, and I am in an old neighborhood, it will probably overload. So I guess my question still comes to the charging port and the metering and the transformer. All of that would be discussed, you're saying, after the last, as you said, with the utility company first.
FRED WAGNER: Right. Let's say, Vanessa, I'm in an old neighborhood too and if you decide that, you know, you're looking to get an electric drive vehicle. Okay. And there's maybe, depending on what you buy, say you buy a Chevy Volt or you buy a Nissan LEAF, as opposed to potentially a plug-in hybrid that'll have a smaller battery capacity, so there's maybe a pretty good chance you might need a Level 2. So you're going to be drawing 240 volts, 30–40 amps.
The first thing you really want to do if you're really considering that is, you know, you want to get a hold of your utility basically. And once you get to the point of choosing the electrical contractor that would do the installation for you, and then the electrical contractor will then choose the electrician.
You want to make sure that they're in contact with the utility first as well because there may be something, probably not, but there may be something from the utility side that could prevent you from doing this. Or something the utility would want to do first before you actually move ahead.
So by all means, please contact your utility very early in the process.
VANESSA: And my other question, quickly, was I was thinking of possibly making, say the garage, be with solar panels. And so that second meter, would that inverter that I keep reading about with the solar panel, could that help to compensate for some of my electrical that I would be using at my charging station, you know, at my garage? You know what I'm saying?
FRED WAGNER: I do. I may be a little bit out of my element there. I could maybe just defer to Jonathan or Michael, but yes, it should, depending on, you know, typically you charge at nighttime in general. Not going to be getting a whole lot of juice coming from the solar panels then.
VANESSA: No, I mmm-hmm.. Yes, but I do say again, back to having the inverter ,and I would end up with a credit during the day that would eventually kind of wash, you know, wash out, you know, when the sun is out. Versus like you say, I'm doing it at night and having the second meter. All of that would kind of, you know what I mean, it wash itself out with getting the credit in the day and then using it at night. I'm just trying to think ahead too. Just wondering how that could work.
FRED WAGNER: I think from a cost standpoint with net metering and things, that could wash part of the cost but from the position of perspective of the load that's applied to the system, and the effect that it could have on the local transformers, that's probably not going, it's not going to hurt you by any means, but it's probably not going to help you that much in that regard. I'll defer to Mike Simpson of NREL on that, maybe. But I think it'll help you on the cost side, but you still probably need to have the transformers potentially looked at by the utility.
VANESSA: Do they charge the homeowners for new transformers? Or is that something just kind of they put among several people in the area, you know, other residents? Or would the first person to get it be the person charged for the transformer?
MIKE SIMPSON: I could take a stab at that; this is Mike Simpson from NREL.
VANESSA: Hi.
MIKE SIMPSON: Just wanted to answer that question. So basically your second assessment was more correct. I mean, these vehicles rolling out is going to be somewhere from the utility's perspective as air conditioners were in the 50s and plasma TVs were in the late 90s, 2000. So essentially it's another load. And all utilities right now, the only mechanism they have to bill consumers is through spreading those capital costs across the rate base. Across the rate payers, so it's not billed directly to one person.
If there begins to be some extreme problems, the utilities may go to their public utilities commission that regulates them and ask for the ability to do that. But we haven't seen that happening yet.
VANESSA: I see. All righty. Great info. Thanks so much.
FRED WAGNER: Thank you, Vanessa.
SANDRA LOI: Great, thanks. Fred, in the interest of time, if you can go ahead and continue on. And then at the end we'll go ahead and open up the lines again for questions.
FRED WAGNER: Will do, Sandra. I'll try to complete pretty quickly here. Just real quickly before, I'll talk a little bit about promotion of the video; proposed promotion.
The video has two last segments. It's a wrap-up section and a resources section, and they're exactly as they say. The wrap-up section provides a synopsis of all the key points from earlier in the video to reinforce them from earlier or for folks who may not have time to watch the whole 32-minute video. It hits the key items.
In the final section, the resources section provides a listing of areas and entities such as IAEI, NECA, you know, EVITP, other entities like that in which you can get more information. And probably what the order that you want to go about doing that so that kind of wraps up the video.
Now the last piece here. Sandra, if you'd go to slide number seven, please, the Promotion Marketing element. How do we get the video out there into the hands of people who can use it, want to use it, or are going to apply at the local grassroots level? And I imagine there's a number of ways that that could be done.
One of the ways that's to be proposed here that we've talked with was the Clean Cities and with IAEI, Jonathan Cadd, is this idea of getting it out to the, you know, the local electrical inspectors and the AHJs through basically the ICC, International Code Council, as well as IAE databases.
And there's a good way to do it because these elements, these entities, already have a very extensive list of contacts at all the local communities. And they also have a ready rapport with these folks and they're recognized as, you know, sources that they can get good information from.
So I guess one of the ways that could be a real good way to get out this particular video and maybe other information as well at the local level would be to brand the video with Clean Cities very clearly. As well as some of the other entities that contributed.
There was a lot of contributors to the video, you know, IAE, NECA, EVITP, several of the utilities participated in it. Duke Energy, Southern Cal Edison, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, NREL, there's been a whole number of entities and I think it would be a very good idea to have that branded up front to increase the receptivity at the local entities.
And what could be done is there could be an email blast that could be sent out. Jonathan Cadd and the International Association of Electrical Inspectors have offered to do that, which could be sent out to the chief electrical inspectors at all the local areas, local towns, and cities. Basically informing them of the video, telling them what it's about as well as also setting up a webinar schedule maybe once every two months or so to review the video. Sort of like we're just doing here right now, and to provide answers.
Probably have several people on the video as well, the technical experts from the inspector community, also from the utility. As well as potentially from NECA. As well for the technical details.
And basically the AHJs at their end, as Jonathan alluded to about a half hour ago, is they want to help the local communities, you know. They want to provide education. They want to help the inspectors and installers. And they want to provide to consumers. It's just information to consumers. It's just an element of trying to get them the information in the right form, and in a way in which they would accept it.
So this is a way we're kind of proposing that maybe this video could be got out broadly, nationally, and deeply at the local level. So that's all I have. If there's any question on anything else along this potential way to promote the video for you all at the ground level, you know, we'd love to hear any suggestions you may have then. Thank you.
SANDRA LOI: Tori, can we see if we have any additional questions at this time?
COORDINATOR: Yes, thank you. Once again, if you'd like to ask a question, press star, then one. And we do have a question from Curtis Martin.
CURTIS MARTIN: Yes, I was trying to and I got in on this a little bit late so forgive me if I cover ground that's already been passed by. But the video, is it going to be available to the coalitions at the website that's posted up here on the screen now?
FRED WAGNER: Yes, Curtis. Actually, it's already up there now. It's on the Clean Cities TV site so it's all there. You have a full-length version and then you have the segmented versions as well.
LINDA BLUESTEIN: And Fred, let me just say that, and Curtis, this is Linda Bluestein, please feel free to send the video, link to the video, out to any of your stakeholders that might be interested in viewing it.
Anybody who is going to be getting involved in the electric vehicle side, any of your stakeholders that are interested in installation and inspection process; we encourage you to get the information out. And if there are questions that emanate from them after they watch the video, I would suggest that if you can't answer them for the stakeholder or if you don't have someone in your community that can answer the questions, let us know what the questions are. And we can keep a running tab and try to get back to people on those as well.
So, you know, you're invited to do that. Some Clean Cities coordinators might want to set up a special meeting or segment and have somebody from the utility and maybe someone from the city, or even someone from the local inspector's office come and show the video and have them field questions afterwards. That might be another good way to get people in the community involved and interested and get information out.
So those are just a couple of suggestions. And if you have any other, particularly Clean Cities coordinators, we'd really be interested in hearing what information that you might have or ideas you might have to get this video out to the people in your localities that would be impacted by it the most.
CURTIS MARTIN: Thank you very much. I also had one other quick question about you're referring back to potentially interested customers contacting utilities. Is there a particular avenue for them to approach or a contact point or a division within utility that they need to be aware of? Other than most people just call an 800 customer service number on their utility bill? Is that how they start, or is there a way to direct them?
FRED WAGNER: Curtis, I don't know if I can fully answer that question. I guess maybe someone else has a better answer. I would start with the general number, you know, on your utility bill. That's what I would do. You might get a little bit of a runaround for a while, but you'd probably find your way there.
I'm not sure there's a specific number or specific wing of the utility to call. It may be different for all utilities; it very well may be. I would probably just start with the general number and kind of feed your way through.
CURTIS MARTIN: Very good. Thank you.
JONATHAN CADD: Yeah, Fred. Either that, or you might want to call your local AHJ. Ask your plan checker. They deal with them all the time.
FRED WAGNER: That's true, yep.
COORDINATOR: And our next question from Bill Acker.
BILL ACKER: Yes. Good afternoon. Fred and Linda, I just wanted to thank you for producing this video. It's very timely for us. We've sent it on to our key stakeholders. We put it on our website. And we plan to use it in a training workshop that we're going to have in middle of October.
So my question is, is there an opportunity to do an update to this? Are you looking for feedback from the people in our workshops on maybe additional items to address in future training videos?
LINDA BLUESTEIN: No, I think we've talked about that. You know, we just completed this one and got it out this summer so, you know, give us a little while to digest, have people digest this current one but we'd certainly love any feedback you have. If you think it's missing a section we can go back and produce a section to, you know, annex on to what we currently have there and we'd be obviously willing to entertain various ideas on how to add content or improve the content that we have on the video. So we're always open to that.
BILL ACKER: Okay, great. Who do we send comments to?
LINDA BLUESTEIN: You can send them to me and I will make sure that—Linda Bluestein—and I will make sure that they will get to, you know, I will get with the appropriate people that we work with and talk to them about potentially adding to that project.
BILL ACKER: Okay, thank you.
LINDA BLUESTEIN: You bet.
COORDINATOR: Our next question from Joe Weathers.
JOE WEATHERS: I think my question's been answered already. I was going to ask how could I get a hold of it and put it on my website but I think I'd just make a link to it and go from there. And how long will it be up and running?
LINDA BLUESTEIN: We don't have any plans to take it down anytime soon. I guess if we ever update the video we might replace it, but it was just completed this summer so it should be up there for at least the next year, I'm assuming. And if we make any changes or make additions to it, those will be up as well.
SANDRA LOI: Okay. Tori, do we have any other questions on the line?
COORDINATOR: At this time I show no other questions.
SANDRA LOI: Okay, great. Linda, do you want to move on to the next speaker?
LINDA BLUESTEIN: Yes. And lastly, we'd like to introduce Mike Simpson. Who, in our efforts to get a lot more information to our Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders and others across the country, have been trying to update information pieces and add new information pieces to our website on plug-in electric vehicles. And in this case, Mike Simpson from NREL has been working on a series of handbooks.
The first one is up. Actually up and running is one for consumers but soon to follow are handbooks in addition to that for fleet, station owners, and electrical contractors.
So I just wanted to say that Mike's a big part of our electric vehicle team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Works directly with us at DOE headquarters on a number of different projects and interesting things that we have going.
He's got a great background and actually worked with Rocky Mountain Institute on the Project Get Ready for a while. He's a vehicle systems engineer at NREL, researching electric vehicle grid integration and fleet deployment, and he conducts analyses regarding the performance and infrastructure of plug-in electric vehicles as well as their influence on renewable energy.
And Mike is going to talk to us a little bit about these information pieces. What we have, when others will be available, and how to use them.
Thanks, Mike.
MIKE SIMPSON: Thank you very much, Linda. I just wanted to just briefly repeat some of that, but my name is Mike Simpson. I work with the National Renewable Energy Lab on the Clean Cities programs and am happy to speak to you all about some of the new products we've got coming out; data products.
So anyway moving on, I think I've got control here, great.
So some of you, who aren't as familiar with Clean Cities, might be asking why we're writing a guidebook. But this is something that Clean Cities has done in the past. It's nothing new for plug-in electric vehicles, but we've done this before on ethanol, biodiesels, first natural gas, all these different technologies. And we're continuing to keep these handbooks up to date as much as possible.
So this specific effort we've collaborated with a number of different players. I'd love to be able to take responsibility for the entire handbook, but by no means is that the reality. Certainly we've got a number of players at NREL and DOE who have contributed, but also we've worked with groups like Project Get Ready and the other national labs, Idaho National Lab, Oregon National Lab, the Electric Power Research Institute, EPRI, and brought together this compilation that we hope will benefit you all in providing outreach on plug-in electric vehicle technologies and their use.
Sounds like there's some static on the call. So if somebody could just make sure their muted, that would be helpful.
So as Linda mentioned, we designed these handbooks to be four iterations of the same basic concept but with slightly unique details in each. And the four primary audiences that we've targeted are private car buyers and dealers, the owners specifically fleet owners and managers, and I mean commercial fleet owners and managers, public charging station owners or EVSE owners, retail and municipalities and utilities, and then the fourth being electrical contractors—so the installers, electricians—some of what Jonathan was talking about earlier.
And again we attempted to answer a number of different questions in these but each one is roughly 15 or 20 pages of content that you should be able to navigate relatively easily. And we try to answer questions like, you know, why would someone care about electric transportation at all? So start from the basic but then work through the details of where can they charge, when can they charge, what's the difference between all these different cars.
So really the idea is to provide information to people who are not yet quite familiar with the technology, and also add some additional details for those who are pretty familiar with the technology but may have some very specific questions.
And then ultimately we want to close the gap in understanding. We're leveraging other Clean Cities efforts that are going on. We've included information from some of the local and regional coordinators that have helped.
I think the presentation as I show it, just skipped around. There we go. It's back now.
We've also, as Fred was mentioning earlier, we've put out a permitting template, and Clean Cities put out a permitting template, and that information from that is included in these handbooks.
Certainly a wealth of information up on the alternative fuel and advanced vehicle datacenter and the FDC. And that information has been coordinated and correlated with these handbooks.
And then we also have some continuing efforts going on. Looking at EVSE location and standardization of that information. The GO EVSE and a lot of what we've learned from that effort has been included here.
And ultimately, you know, I think our ultimate goal here is to provide reasonable consumer expectations. We want to present the technology in a way that consumers can rely on. We don't want to over promise, or, for that matter, under promise. And I have a snapshot from a recent survey here that shows when asked the question, what is the acceptable EV driving range before needing to be recharged? Over a third of the respondents said they thought 400 miles was reasonable.
And I think the takeaway here is just that that expectation is not reasonable. And I'm hoping that with these handbooks we can provide a central place for owners, EVSE managers, all those targeted audiences, to come and answer those questions and address their expectations, so that we have more reasonable answers to this question in the future.
And with that I'll thank you very much and I'll be happy to answer any questions. But the first version of that handbook targeted towards consumers is already available and is up at the address you see there. The next three are essentially, they're fully drafted in content. They're just waiting to go through some editing and publication so those should be up in the next few months.
Thank you again.
SANDRA LOI: Thanks, Mike. Tori, can we go ahead and open up the lines for any additional questions?
COORDINATOR: Yes. Thank you. Once again, if you'd like to ask a question from the phone line, press star one.
SANDRA LOI: While we're waiting for questions over the phone, I did have another one that came in via the Web. Question is related to the UL again. It says, does it have to be UL? AHJs are always hanging on the UL, however, there are multiple NRTL including ETL, TV, et cetera. Can you please clarify this?
JONATHAN CADD: Yes, Sandra, if I could go ahead and answer that one. Under OSHA there's multiple nationally recognized testing labs. Each and any one of those testing labs can take care of the listings. What we do is contact. Go to the OSHA site, and you'll see all those 15 labs right there, and you can contact each and every one of those labs to find out whether they provide the testing you're looking for. Will they provide the service you're looking for.
So yeah, there's multiple nationally recognized testing labs out there.
SANDRA LOI: Great, thank you. Tori, do we have anyone on the phone line?
COORDINATOR: Yes. Thank you. We do have a question from Vanessa.
VANESSA: Yes, ma'am. Just was wondering, for the website, since I was on the phone I wasn't able to get the website for the handbooks.
MIKE SIMPSON: Oh, sorry about that. This is Mike Simpson. I think are we going to be able to send out those slides cause the website's kind of long. I can read it off.
VANESSA: I'm sorry. Is there a link to it at the cleancities.tv?
MIKE SIMPSON: Not there. I'll go ahead and read it off to you real quick and then I think the plan is to email out these slides afterward.
((Crosstalk))
MIKE SIMPSON: Okay, great. So it's www.afdc.energy.gov/pdfs/51226.pdf.
VANESSA: Thanks, Mike.
MIKE SIMPSON: You're very welcome.
SANDRA LOI: Thanks, Mike. I just had another one come in over the Web and it's, what advice should Clean Cities organization give about EVSE installations in areas where there's no local inspection program?
MIKE SIMPSON: I'm not sure that I'm the best to answer that. Fred? Jonathan? Either one of you want to jump in there?
JONATHAN CADD: Yeah. Did I hear what the question was, if there is no local inspection program?
SANDRA LOI: Correct.
JONATHAN CADD: What does one do?
SANDRA LOI: Right. What advice you would give.
JONATHAN CADD: Actually I would get with, well, use your local. If they don't have a local inspection program, certainly get with your local utility as we had talked about earlier to start with and let them know that you want it installed. That you're planning on buying an electrical vehicle and that you might be looking into installing some EVSE equipment.
If there's no local inspection jurisdiction there, I would start there. Probably be your safest place. They're going to work with local electricians there that are educated, and they communicate, and they do these things. That might even be part of the national EVITP program as far as training for NECA and things like that.
So I would start with your local utility. If not, ask the state and that area. And if not, we've got on our website www.iaei.org. It's called DirectConnect and you can go right on there and it'll tell you which jurisdictions do and do not have inspection services and what NEC they're on and things like that. That would be helpful.
SANDRA LOI: Great. Thank you. Tori, do we have anyone else on the phone line?
COORDINATOR: I show no questions at this time.
SANDRA LOI: Great. Thank you. Linda, do you have any closing remarks today?
LINDA BLUESTEIN: No, just that we'll be holding another quarterly. I'm not sure whether it will be December or January next time. We've got a few things that we want to do and we're just waiting for things to percolate to see whether we can secure certain people for the webinar.
So there will be one in the December/January fourth quarter time frame. And we will be looking forward to talking to you again soon and bringing you more information. And if you have any ideas on things that you would like to have during future discussions or quarterly webinars on electric vehicles, please send us an email and let us know.
You can send one to Sandra Loi who sent out the information. She will take that and talk to me about it and we'll make some decisions.
Again, I appreciate your attendance. And good luck and we hope to hear from you or have you in the virtual world; I guess at the next EV quarterly in the winter. Bye and thanks.
COORDINATOR: Thank you for participating on today's conference. You may disconnect at this time.