A EV charger outside the Los Alamos County Municipal Building. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Government-owned electric vehicles aren’t a novel thing in Los Alamos; nor are the stations to charge them. But what if all the vehicles owned by Los Alamos County were electric and charging stations were located throughout the County?
To answer that question, the County hired a contractor, Stantec, to help assist in a Fleet Conversion and Community-wide EV (Electric Vehicle) Charging Study that is investigating two things: the possibility of converting the County’s fleet to EV and what would be needed to install more EV chargers in Los Alamos.
The study recently started, and Los Alamos County Council heard an update about it during the April 8 meeting.
Stantec’s Analy Castillo, who is the fleet transition lead, provided an overview on the electrification of the County’s vehicles.
She said all the commercially available fleet is being reviewed while also focusing on understanding how the County fleet operates. This includes knowing about the equipment and replacement policies and understanding the impact the conversion would have on current facilities.
Castillo added that the daily utilization of the County’s fleet along with its requirements are being analyzed. She emphasized that the conversion would be more than just locating the equivalent electric vehicle for a gas-powered one.
“We want to make sure that the electrical equivalent can actually satisfy the current operational needs of the fleet,” she said.
To get a better understanding of the County’s needs, Castillo said meetings will be held with County department staff. She added a modeling tool will be used to assess how the County’s existing vehicles match with the electric cars being offered on the market and it will address the retirement process of the County’s fleet. Castillo said a facility infrastructure phasing plan and a phasing plan for procurement can be created.
Regarding the installation and plans for EV chargers, Stantec’s Project Manager Eric Plapper said an assessment is being done of relevant local plans and policies such as the New Mexico Clean Car Rule, which establishes targets for low emissions and zero emission standards for cars and trucks starting in 2026, and County codes. Other considerations, he said, for planning for new EV chargers include a technical analysis process, which addresses the demand for electric cars, where the adoption of electric cars is now and where it is heading, as well as land use, travel patterns, suitability and infrastructure, and an evaluation of charging opportunities. Plapper added that being equitable and identifying and prioritizing communities that are underserved and overburdened will be included in the plans for the EV chargers. The number of new chargers needs to be calculated as well as where to locate them. To have this entire project be successful, Plapper said the public’s engagement will be sought through surveys and meetings. Once a draft plan is created, the community’s input will be solicited for that, too.
Sustainability Manager Angelica Gurule told the Los Alamos Daily Post during an interview April 17 that the first public meeting, which is a hybrid visioning workshop, will be held 3:30-6:30 p.m. May 12 in the Municipal Building.
She encourages everyone to participate.
“We want the community’s input on the study … the community vision meeting on May 12 is a good opportunity to come in and ask questions and learn about the study and also to provide input on where the community would like to see chargers,” Gurule said.
She added that the study is in the beginning stages; currently data is being collected. If approved to be implemented, Gurule added it will be a major undertaking because a lot of areas will need to be upgraded; the existing infrastructure would not support a total conversion to electric vehicles. As a result, this is a long-term project; Gurule said she estimates it will run over the course of 20 years.
Gurule noted the Department of Public Utilities is looking at its own electrification study and the hope is to marry its study with the Fleet Conversion and Community-wide EV Charging Study.
Other community partners are being sought for this project including, but not limited to the Los Alamos Public Schools, University of New Mexico-Los Alamos, Los Alamos Medical Center, the Pajarito Environmental Education Center and Los Alamos National Laboratory, she said.
Efforts in this area have been done; the County has already acquired some electric vehicles for its fleet. Fleet Manager Pete Mondragon reported that there are seven all-electric vehicles. Additionally, Gurule said there are approximately eight EV charger sites in the County – they include the Municipal Building, the White Rock Visitor Center, the White Rock Senior Center and PEEC Nature Center.
This entire effort to increase the County’s electric fleet and EV chargers originated from a recommendation in the Climate Action Plan, which council adopted in November.