Agenda Item - 2024-04-15
503-675-3984 380 A AVENUE PO BOX 369 LAKE OSWEGO, OR 97034 WWW.LAKEOSWEGO.CITY
TO: Sustainability Advisory Board
FROM: Amanda Watson, Sustainability Program Manager
SUBJECT: Citywide EV Charging Strategy
DATE: April 5, 2024 (for April 15, 2024 Sustainability Advisory Board meeting)
SUMMARY
Staff are seeking input on draft elements of a citywide electric vehicle (EV) charging strategy. The EV
charging strategy aims to expand equitable access to EV charging infrastructure in Lake Oswego to
meet transportation electrification goals in the City’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan.
The EV adoption rate in Oregon currently outpaces the national rate, and EVs make up a higher
percentage of light-duty vehicles in Lake Oswego compared with the state as a whole.
1 However, lack of access to convenient and reliable charging is a significant barrier to more
widespread adoption of EVs, along with higher upfront costs of electric vehicles and lack of
familiarity with the technology. The EV charging strategy will identify charging infrastructure needs
and gaps based on current conditions and projected demand and propose actions the City could
take to address those gaps, including by identifying opportunities to partner with other
organizations and businesses.
EV Adoption Goals
The Sustainability and Climate Action Plan identifies transportation electrification as an important
strategy for reducing transportation emissions in Lake Oswego. The plan sets a goal of increasing EV
adoption to 60% of new vehicles sales in 2040, from an estimated 2.5% in 2018.
Lake Oswego’s transportation electrification goals are supported by state targets and policies. In
2019, Oregon Senate Bill 1044 adopted zero-emission vehicle (ZEV)2 goals to have at least 250,000
registered ZEVs on Oregon roads by 2025, at least 25% of registered vehicles and 50% of new
vehicles sold annually to be ZEVs by 2030, and 2,500,000 registered ZEVs and at least 90% of new
vehicle sales to be ZEVs by 2035. In 2022, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
adopted the Advanced Clean Cars II rules requiring all new car sales to be battery electric or plug-in
hybrid electric starting in 2035. State Climate-Friendly Equitable Communities rules also require
new developments in Oregon with 5 or more residential units to be built with at least 40% of
parking spaces ready for charging stations to be installed.3
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Current Conditions
As of December 31, 2023, there were 2,770 registered EVs in Lake Oswego, representing 7.7% of all
light-duty vehicles with active registrations in the city.4 Data from the Alternative Fuels Data Center
shows there are currently 45 L2 charging ports and 8 DCFC ports in Lake Oswego that are accessible
to the public.5 This includes 10 publicly available charging ports at stations owned by the City of
Lake Oswego.
The City conducted a public survey in October 2023 seeking to gather information on residents' EV
charging habits and needs. Although the survey was not representative, it provided some broad
insights that echo findings from national studies.6 For example, over 85% of EV owners in Lake
Oswego who responded to the survey charged their vehicle at home, and non-EV owners
responded that if they did own an EV they would be most likely to charge their vehicle at home
(88%), followed by at a business (32%) or at public charging on the street (28%). Slightly less than
half of respondents were dissatisfied with the availability of public charging stations in the city.
Projected Charging Needs
In 2021, the Oregon Department of Transportation conducted a Transportation Electrification
Infrastructure Needs Analysis (TEINA) to identify the EV charging needs and gaps across Oregon.7
The study developed a methodology to determine how many charging ports would be needed to
meet the state’s light-duty zero-emission vehicle goals in 2030 and 2035, and a TEINA Dashboard
tool that can be used to downscale this analysis to the county and city level.
Results from the TEINA Dashboard model for Lake Oswego, in the figures below, show the projected
number of charging ports needed by type to meet EV adoption targets of 25% of all registered light-
duty vehicles in 2030 and 50% in 2035. The target for 2025 was assumed to be 8%. The model
assumes that 90% of EV drivers have access to home charging in 2020, decreasing to 60% by 2035
as public charging becomes more available.
TEINA Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure Dashboard – Lake Oswego Results
Projected Number of Charging Ports Needed by Type
2020 2025 2030 2035
Workplace L2 14 95 322 700
Public L2 10 66 225 487
DCFC 4 27 90 193
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Results from the TEINA Dashboard show that the amount of public charging needs to more than
triple by 2030. It is worth noting that current EV adoption rates in Lake Oswego are supported by
less than half as many public chargers as the TEINA model would call for. However, additional public
charging will be needed to support higher rates of EV charging and to ensure equitable access to
charging.
Equitable Access to Charging
The Oregon Department of Energy’s 2023 Biennial Zero Emission Vehicle Report found single-unit
homeownership to be a leading indicator of EV ownership in Oregon. Residents of multifamily
buildings and renters are less likely to own electric vehicles. Homeowners are more likely than
renters to have the financial resources to afford the upfront cost of an EV, and residents of single-
family homes are more likely to have access to convenient, lower cost at-home charging than
residents of multifamily buildings.
Detached single-family homes currently make up the majority of housing in Lake Oswego (63% of
units in 2023 8), which may explain the relatively high EV adoption rate compared with the amount
of publicly available charging stations in the city. However, a significant number of community
members live in multi-unit dwellings, and this number is likely to grow as the City implements
policies to encourage more middle housing. To ensure equitable access to charging infrastructure,
the EV charging strategy will need to focus in particular on strategies that increase access for
multifamily building residents and renters.
Draft Actions for EV Charging Strategy
Based on a review of state EV plans and reports, other local government EV readiness plans, and
initial discussions with City departments and community partners, staff have developed a draft set
of actions for consideration for the EV charging strategy. These are organized below based on the
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primary role of the City: conducting education and outreach efforts, enabling/facilitating private
investment in accessible and convenient charging infrastructure, and directly investing in charging
infrastructure.
Educate
• Conduct targeted outreach and education about benefits and types of charging and
available local, state, federal financial incentives for installing charging infrastructure.
o For multifamily building owners and residents
o For local businesses
Enable
• Adopt EV-ready policy for new developments, including city capital projects, that requires
more charging infrastructure than is required by State rules.
• Require developers to provide for EV charging in the right-of-way when a housing project
will not provide any parking.
• Provide incentives for private businesses, building owners to install publicly available
charging stations on their property (explore options such as technical assistance, electrical
permit fee reductions).
• Develop criteria to identify priority locations for charging infrastructure and guidelines for
accessibility, reliability, signage, etc.
• Install EV charging wayfinding signage for publicly accessible chargers.
• Develop right-of-way charging program that permits businesses to install charging stations
in the right-of-way and/or allows residents to extend charging cord from house to curb
using a cord cover.
Install
• Partner with PGE on Electric Avenue charging station and/or pole-mounted charging
demonstration project.
• Install City-owned stations or contract for charging-as-a-service to provide additional
charging at public locations (City facilities, parking lots, right-of-way).
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Discussion Questions
• Do you have feedback on the projected charging needs from the TEINA Dashboard?
• Does the analysis of charging gaps in Lake Oswego reflect your understanding?
• Do the list of actions to consider adequately address the charging needs and gaps? Are
there additional actions you would like the City to consider? Any that you would remove
from this list?
1 At the end of 2022, EV market share in Oregon was 12%, compared with 7% nationally. In 2023, EVs made up 2%
of registered light-duty vehicles in Oregon. Oregon Department of Energy, 2023 Biennial Zero Emission Vehicle
Report https://www.oregon.gov/energy/Data-and-Reports/Documents/2023-Biennial-Zero-Emission-Vehicle-
Report.pdf
2 Senate Bill 1044 (2019) defines “Zero emission vehicle” as a battery electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid electric
vehicle, or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
3 With electrical service capacity and conduit to support wiring for installation of L2 charging stations; see: Oregon
Department of Land Conservation & Development, OAR 660-012-0410 Implementation Guidance,
https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/CL/Documents/Guidance0410_EVs.pdf.
4 Data from Oregon Department of Transportation, April 2024. EVs include battery electric and plug-in hybrid
electric vehicles.
5 US Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Locations – Lake
Oswego, OR, https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity-
locations#/find/nearest?fuel=ELEC&location=Lake%20Oswego,%20OR, accessed April 2024.
6 Recent national studies include: Plug In America, The Expanding EV Market: Observations in a year of growth,
February 2022, https://pluginamerica.org/survey/2022-report/; AAA 2022 consumer survey,
https://newsroom.aaa.com/2022/07/americans-reveal-fresh-thoughts-on-electric-vehicles/ .
7 Available online at: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/programs/pages/teina.aspx.
8 City of Lake Oswego Housing Needs Analysis, 2023-2043,
https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=2624070&dbid=0&repo=CityOfLakeOswego.