Jun 19 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Kristopher Hanson Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.



New auto-emission rules and a growing market for plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles are spawning investment in quick-charge stations across California.

But given the lousy economy and tepid private interest, state lawmakers are grappling with incentives -- both economic and regulatory -- to ensure California's infrastructure is prepared for the expected influx of these green vehicles in coming years.

State lawmakers met with top auto and electrical engineers Friday in Long Beach to discuss the great challenge ahead: Expanding a small network of quick-charge electric fueling stations in residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors and along desolate highway stretches connecting California's urban centers.

"We've got the cars and we've got the drivers, and now we need to make sure we're going to have the outlets and charging stations to keep those cars running," said Bonnie Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, who chaired the hearing as head of the Assembly Transportation Committee.

 The state is working with regional utilities, like Southern California Edison and the Department of Water and Power, to create grids accommodating 440-volt quick-charge stations powered in part by renewable energy.

By 2016, when the goal is for one in six new vehicles to operate without gasoline, these stations will need to mushroom across California if an effective network is to be born.

However, the utilities say it's possible with careful planning,

especially if homes and businesses grow more power-efficient.

"The utility companies will have to create clusters so these stations don't sap the power grid, but they are really getting involved in these programs and educating the public," Lowenthal said.

While thousands of public and private electric-charging stations now exist across California, tens of thousands will be needed in the very near future.

Lowenthal pointed out that by next year, 11 percent of vehicles for sale in California must be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), which include such models as the new Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt electric vehicles, both expected to hit the market this year.

The number grows through 2018, when at least 16 percent of vehicles must meet zero-emission standards.

With sales of new cars topping about 1.1 million in California annually, that equates to an influx of some 700,000 to 800,000 new ZEVs into California by late decade -- many of them electric.

A lingering dilemma for many electric vehicles is the charge time -- up to eight hours -- for a full battery. While it's not much of an issue for the majority of daily commuters, whose trips average 40 miles or less, it's less appealing for anyone taking the occasional road trip.

That's where the 440-volt "super chargers" from firms like Monrovia-based AeroViroment come in, able to power a battery to near capacity within minutes.

infrastructure to handle them.

"We can't assume that every need will be taken care of with wall sockets in our garages," said Lowenthal.

"There are a lot of questions to be answered."

Another zero-emission technology gaining steam -- though haltingly -- is the hydrogen car, which emits no carbon dioxides and runs on an easily produced natural element.

Hydrogen cars are expected to double in number in California each year until 2017, when an estimated 50,000 will be cruising Golden State highways and roads.

Dozens of stations are now going up or will soon be developed to service this new generation of hydrogen cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and off-road equipment, though investment has been mixed so far.

Currently, only about 15 hydrogen stations exist in California, but that number is expected to reach 100 within six years.

Several of those stations are planned for in and around Long Beach, San Pedro and Wilmington to fuel trucks and cargo-moving equipment, and Shell and Toyota are teaming up to build a state-of-the-art hydrogen station in Torrance.

Other stations already serve cars and trucks in Santa Monica, Culver City, Irvine, West Los Angeles, Newport Beach and Los Angeles Airport.

"You're seeing auto manufacturers beginning to invest an incredible amount of money into this technology, and it's incredibly realistic that this will be the choice of the future, but the turnover is going to take a long time," said Mike Kashuba of the California Air Resources Board.

kristopher.hanson@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1466

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