Council Provided Information - 4/4/2023CITY COUNCIL OF SALT LAKE CITY
451 SOUTH STATE STREET, ROOM 304
P.O. BOX 145476, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84114-5476 SLCCOUNCIL.COM
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COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL of SALT LAKE CITY
TO: City Council Members
FROM: Sam Owen, Policy Analyst
DATE: April 4, 2023
RE: Electric Vehicle Readiness
Off-Street Parking Stalls Amendment
ISSUE AT A GLANCE
The Administration’s proposal asks the Council to change the zoning code, and require an increased
amount of electric infrastructure at twenty percent of the parking spaces in multi-family construction
and major reconstruction projects. The infrastructure would support new installation of electric
charging stations for electric vehicles. This proposal does not newly require the installation of
charging stations.
The Council may want to discuss whether to require more electric vehicle charging infrastructure in
off-street parking at multi-family construction and major reconstruction projects.
KEY ITEMS
The existing code requires these same types of projects to install fully-equipped parking spaces
reserved for electric vehicle charging, at the ratio of one electric vehicle space per 25 conventional
spaces.
Site plans for qualifying projects would be screened for meeting these new requirements through the
city’s permitting process.
The same 20 percent requirement would apply to spaces designated for use of people qualifying under
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The requirement does not apply to projects with four or less
off-street parking spaces.
In response to the proposal, one developer provided feedback the cost per space could be as high as
$10,000, and this comment is included in the transmittal. Other information, available on the
department’s website, indicates cost per space could be under $1,000. The lower figure is consistent
Item Schedule:
Briefing: January 3, 2023
Public Hearing: March 21, 2023
Potential Action: April 4, 2023
Page | 2
with anecdotal comparisons made to online examples of cost. Market conditions at the time of
construction would be a factor. The cost to retrofit these electric spaces is several times more than
some estimates to include them as part of new construction.
POLICY QUESTIONS
1. The transmittal includes a range of public feedback. Cost concerns are a theme. Council
Members might wish to ask the department about cost increases expected as a result of
adopting this ordinance, or something like it. Is the cost likely to burden renters, slow
necessary construction or deter investment in the city?
2. Considering the cost could be passed on to the consumer, in this case residents,will people who
do not have access to new cars or new electric vehicles end up bearing the burden of that cost?
3. Another theme in the feedback is concern about rates of actual electric vehicle use in the
general public. Do Council Members think the ratio of twenty percent is appropriate, in light of
information listed above on market share?
ADDITIONAL & BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A state report presents these findings:
1,016 electric vehicles were newly registered in 2015;
5,401 were newly registered in 2019; and
10,569 were newly registered in 2021.
These Tax Commission figures document how electric vehicle registration goes from one tenth of a
percent of total new registrations in 2015, to four tenths of one percent in 2019. Total vehicle
registrations have increased by about half a million during the same period. Hybrid vehicles were five
times more common than strict electric in 2022 registrations. Some estimates put current electric
vehicle adoption nationwide around five percent.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE READINESS ORDINANCE
SALT LAKE CITY SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENT
PRESENTATION AGENDA
02
03
LOCAL BENEFITS
PROPOSED REQUIREMENTS
How EV readiness provides
economic benefits and improves
Salt Lake City’s air quality
An overview of the proposed
ordinance additions and property
types impacted
01 BACKGROUND + CONTEXT
An introduction to electric vehicle
readiness and current SLC policy
What does electric vehicle readiness mean?
EV CAPABLE
EV READY
EVSE INSTALLED
Three levels of “electric vehicle supply equipment” (EVSE) infrastructure
are often regulated by municipal zoning ordinances:
EV CAPABLE
What does electric vehicle readiness mean?
EV CAPABLE
Installed electrical panel capacity with a dedicated branch circuit and a
continuous raceway from the panel to the future EV parking space.
Utility Distribution Network
Transformer
Utility Panel
What does electric vehicle readiness mean?
Installed electrical panel capacity and raceway with conduit to
terminate in junction box or 240-volt charging outlet.
EV READY EV READY
Utility Distribution Network
Transformer
Utility Panel
Charging Outlet
at Parking Space
Installed Level 2 charging station.
EVSE INSTALLED
What does electric vehicle readiness mean?
EV READY
Utility Distribution Network
Transformer
Utility Panel
Charging Outlet
at Parking Space
EV Charger
What does electric vehicle readiness mean?
SLC PROPOSED ORDINANCE
Utility Distribution Network
Transformer
Utility Panel
Charging Outlet
at Parking Space
EV Charger
One (1) installed EV charging station
per 25 required parking spaces
Count toward total required parking spaces
Must be located near building entrance
Signed in a clear and conspicuous manner
Specific charging station level not required
Existing EV Policy
MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES
Twenty percent (20%) of required
parking spaces constructed as EV-ready
Count toward total required parking spaces
EV-ready parking spaces shall have electrical
conduit and sufficient electrical capacity
For new multi-family uses, a minimum of 20%
of ADA spaces shall be constructed as EV-
ready.
Proposed EV Readiness
MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES
0
50
100
150
200
250
84101 84102 84103 84104 84105 84108 84111 84112 84116
Market Trends
MARKET SIZE & DEMAND
SALT LAKE CITY 1,043 EVs registered in 2020
Data Source: Utah State Tax Commission
Market Trends
MARKET SIZE & DEMAND
UTAH 6,947 EVs as of Q2 2020 (in thousands)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Data Source: Utah State Tax Commission
New vs. Retrofit Costs
AN ECONOMIC COMPARISON
A study of EV-ready construction costs shows that installing infrastructure
during the new construction phase is the most cost-efficient.
Data Source: SWEEP (Southwest Energy Efficiency Project). “Cracking the Code on EV-Ready Building Codes.” 2018.
New Construction Retrofit
$610 Balance of Circuit $1,210
$180 Raceway $1,070
$70 Permitting & Inspection $650
$60 Construction Management $620
$920 Total (per space)$3,550
Charging Behavior
PLACE-BASED CHARGING DEMANDS
4,000 U.S. drivers assessed84%
16%
Home Away
N
i
s
s
a
n
L
e
a
f
87%
13%
Home Away
C
h
e
v
y
V
o
l
t
1,800 U.S. drivers assessed
Data Source: Idaho National Laboratory. 2015.
84%
16%
Home Away
87%
13%
Home Away
Charging Behavior
PLACE-BASED CHARGING DEMANDS
Data Source: Idaho National Laboratory. 2015.
N
i
s
s
a
n
L
e
a
f
C
h
e
v
y
V
o
l
t
65%
32%
3%
Home Work Other
57%
39%
4%
Home Work Other
Subgroups
with access to workplace charging
A resilient building stock that is
prepared to meet demands for
future acceleration of electric
vehicle adoption.
Economic Benefits
PREPARI NG FOR TECHNOLOGY I NNOVATI ON
Future-Proof Development
Building code standards are moving quickly to keep up with EV technology.
Avoid Costly Retrofits
Retrofits costs are significantly higher than new construction for EV-ready.
Market Competitiveness
Properties without installed EV-ready infrastructure will become less viable to specific residents that require home-based charging options.
Air Quality
BENEFITS TO SLC’S AIRSHED
AQ Pollutants are
Significantly Reduced
Direct Emissions
are Eliminated
Effects are Compounded
with an Increasingly
Cleaner Grid
Proposed Ordinance
Each multifamily use shall provide a minimum of 20% electric
vehicle ready parking spaces of total required parking on-site.
EV READINESS LANGUAGE
EV-ready parking spaces shall have electrical conduit and sufficient
electrical capacity for future use of 200 volt charging station.
Proposed EV-ready parking spaces shall be submitted on site plans.
For new multi-family uses, a minimum of 20% of ADA spaces shall be
constructed as EV-ready.
EV-ready parking spaces count toward the total required
number of parking spaces
Parking areas with 4 or fewer parking spaces are not required
to identify EV-ready spaces
Where no minimum parking is required, EV-ready parking
spaces are based on provided parking
Electric vehicle parking spaces that exceed those required by
Subsection B.1 shall count towards the required number of
EV-ready spaces
Proposed Ordinance
EV READINESS LANGUAGE
Additional Provisions:
SALT LAKE CITY
DEPARTMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY
Contact Information
Staff: peter.nelson@slcgov.com