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Project
Feasibility Study for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Evanston, Illinois

Stage 1: Early Implementation

Goal

Encourage EV technology adoption and brand Evanston as a green and forward-­looking city.

Installation

Purchase two dual level (Level 1&2) Coulomb Technologies Charging Stations through Carbon Day vendor

Why?

  • Ownership of the stations allows control over pricing decisions
  • Two stations will meet at least 97% of demand up to five charges per day on average

Location

1800 St. Maple Parking Garage

Why?

  • Maple Garage’s internal wiring allows a lower cost installation
  • Less disruption of existing traffic flow
  • More exposure and visibility to Evanston Community

Publicity

  • Offer free charging until competitors start applying a fee for charging EVs
  • Invest in signs and publicity
  • Partner with iGo and local businesses

Why?

  • Ensure visitors to the garage know there is an EV charging station available, and are able to find it
  • Spread the word to the broader community that Evanston is an early adopter of this technology

Financial Considerations

  • The estimated cost for purchase and installation of two stations is $13,500.
  • We recommend enforcing two types of parking violation tickets:
    • $30 for overtime parking
    • $200 for illegal parking
  • Estimated revenue from parking tickets will cover electrical and other operating costs.
  • In this stage the stations are not profitable, and instead act as a promoter of growth and an investment

Stage 2: Scalable Growth

Goal

Make the appropriate expansion and pricing decisions based on a monitored level of demand

Expansion Strategy

Monitor demand, use provided metrics to respond. Expand into Sherman Plaza Garage

Why?

To avoid turning away more than 3% of potential chargers, we provide indicators that Evanston can use to determine when to purchase an additional charging station

Pricing Strategy

Refer to our pricing guide to learn how applying different fees per hour of charging will affect financial estimates and payback periods

Maintain Flexibility

Watch for technology adaptation. For example, the state of the technology of DC Fast Charging stations as plausible solutions for installation on strategic curbside parking spots

Stage 3: Future Possibilities

Goal

Plan for long­‐term risks, challenges, and opportunities. Take advantage of emerging technologies.

Expansion Possibilities

  • Consider expanding to outside street parking
  • Implementing solar charging stations or other renewable energy sources
  • Giving charging station concessions to private companies
  • Asses the state of the grid

Pricing Strategy

At this stage, pricing will likely be dominated by market forces. Set prices to competitive

A full report on this project is available by request to jill.wilson@northwestern.edu.

Team: Ximena Arias, Carolina Pardo, Harsha Patel, Stefano Pianura, Santiago Valdez