Central Coast Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordination:

1. APPROVE Resolution 2020-12 authorizing the Agency's participation in the joint submission of a grant application to the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Program, with the Regional Transportation Planning Agencies for Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Ventura counties for the Central Coast Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordination project;
2. AUTHORIZE the Executive Director to complete negotiations, and execute necessary agreements and amendments, pending legal counsel approval, if the Central Coast Coalition is awarded the grant; and
3. AUTHORIZE an amount not-to-exceed $6,700 from TAMC’s Rural Planning Assistance funds, as TAMC’s share of the grant match requirements.

The Central Coast Coalition was formed in 2010 to raise awareness of transportation issues on the Central Coast, including highlighting the importance of U.S. 101 on the Central Coast as a major economic asset to the state and nation and encouraging investment in the corridor. The Coalition seeks sustainable transportation solutions that integrate highways and local roads with central coast rail corridors, bus transit, active transportation, and goods movement in a manner that addresses the needs of small urban, suburban and rural areas of the Central Coast.  In addition to the Transportation Agency, members of the Coalition includes the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, Council of San Benito County Governments, San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, and Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission.

In response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order N-79-20, which will attempt to accelerate meeting greenhouse gas emission targets by requiring auto manufacturers to only sell zero emission vehicles (ZEV) passenger vehicles and trucks by 2035, the Central Coast Coalition convened a subcommittee meeting on October 8th that discussed the possibility of conducting a Central Coast Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy. The mandate of electric vehicles and the corresponding Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) infrastructure requires a broad range of stakeholders to prepare and plan for deployment. The Central Coast Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy will ultimately represent the results of research, analysis, and planning conducted to help the Central Coast region achieve the goal of being zero emission vehicle ready.

The goal of this effort is to develop a unified Central Coast Strategy from Ventura to San Benito/Santa Cruz counties.  The strategy will build on previous electric vehicle readiness planning efforts, captured separately in the Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan for Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties (2014) and the Plug-in Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan for Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties (2013). These documents provide an introduction to the plug-in electric vehicle ecosystem and will help identify the key planning elements that require further research, analysis, and planning to help the Central Coast Region achieve the goal of being electric vehicle ready. The ultimate goal is to identify gaps and opportunities to implement electric vehicle infrastructure on the Central Coast including on or near the State Highway System.

The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, in partnership with the Central Coast Coalition and potentially the County of Ventura, will pursue a Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant in order to secure the necessary funds to onboard a consultant to conduct the Central Coast Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy. Applications for the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant will be due in January 2021. A budget for the Central Coast Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy has not been identified yet, however initial estimates are $200,000.  The Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning grants include an 11.47% match requirement, which would equate to $22,940.  Depending on whether the County of Ventura participates, and if the total match requirement is divided amongst the participants equally or by population, the Transportation Agency's share would range from $3,800 to $6,700.