Title
Air Quality Management District (AQMD) recommending the Board, acting as the El Dorado County Air Quality Management District (AQMD) Board of Directors:
1) Award Public Works Bid 2025-0130 for the replacement of electric vehicle chargers at County facilities and park and ride locations to Lily Pad EV LLC;
2) Authorize the Chair of the Board to execute Public Works Agreement 10118 in the amount of $208,561 for a two-year term upon execution, pending approval of County Counsel and Risk Management;
3) Establish an initial fee for the use of the new chargers at $0.38 per kilowatt hour; and
4) Direct staff to evaluate the fee each year and recommend updated fees in the proposed fiscal year AQMD budgets starting with the FY2027/28 budget.
FUNDING: California Department of Motor Vehicles AB 2766 Subvention Funds.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
There are a total of fifty-four (54) EV chargers at fifteen (15) County facilities and park and ride locations that are accessible to the public. Since 1999, AQMD has acquired funding for and worked with Facilities staff and private contractors to install these chargers throughout El Dorado County (EDC). To incentivize EV usage in EDC, the electricity costs have been paid by AQMD with AB 2766 motor vehicle emission reduction funding. EV adoption is becoming much more prevalent, as of 12/31/2024 approximately 1.9M electric and plug-in light duty vehicles were registered in California. Several of the EDC EV chargers are now being very heavily used. AQMD staff believes this incentive is no longer necessary and recommend replacing the free for use EV chargers with chargers capable of collecting a fee from the user. It is expected that collecting a fee will increase the availability of the chargers.
The Procurement and Contracts Division issued Invitation to Bid No. 2025-0130, Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Replacement, with four (4) addenda to replace thirty-eight (38) chargers at ten (10) locations. Bids were received from nineteen (19) vendors. The Procurement and Contracts team evaluated and ranked the Bids according to the pricing and qualifications criteria specified in Bid No. 2025-0130. The Bid from Lily Pad EV LLC (Lily Pad) was the lowest bid at $208,561.
Once the Public Works Agreement is executed, Lily Pad will begin replacing the EV chargers, and once installed will provide billing network service, 24 hour customer service and warranty service for five years through the ChargePoint charging network. At the end of the 2-year term, subsequent customer service will be solicited. AQMD staff performed a cost study analysis based on the CY2025 electricity cost, usage, the per kWh network fee, and 2-year, 7-year and 12-year equipment cost amortizations. Using a 2-year amortization, the charger cost would be $0.55/kWh. Using a 7-year amortization the charger cost would be $0.38/kWh, and with a 12-year amortization the proposed cost would be $0.35/kWh.
Staff recommends using the 7-year amortization calculation and setting the initial cost at $0.38/kWh, conducting additional cost studies each year with updated usage and electricity cost information, and presenting the results to the Board for consideration with the proposed budgets, starting with the FY2027/28 budget. ChargePoint (the EV network provider) collects a $0.49 service fee to the user per guest charging session ($0.25 service fee for ChargePoint account holders).
Based on a search in February 2026 on the Plugshare website, the cost to use other public chargers in EDC range from $0.28/kWh to $0.70/kwh, or $1 to $22.50 per hour, with a few located in South Lake Tahoe being free. According to PG&E, the average electricity cost for residential PG&E customers on March 1, 2025 was $0.4533/kWh.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose not to award this project and direct staff to pursue other opportunities to utilize these motor vehicle emission reduction funds to improve air quality. The Board could also choose to continue providing the electricity for free, provide electricity for a certain number of kWh for free (such as the initial 5 kWh) or set the per kWh usage cost at a different amount.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
On 8/17/99, the Board approved an agreement with the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) to install two EV chargers at Building C. On 9/14/99, the Board approved an agreement with SMUD to install six EV chargers at the El Dorado Hills Park and Ride. On 1/13/15, the Board approved the acceptance of a grant from the Indian Gaming Local Community Benefit Committee that funded 10 EV chargers at the Red Hawk Casino(Legistar file14-1110). On 12/15/15, the Board approved the acceptance of a grant from the California Energy Commission that funded 11 EV chargers at County Building B and four EV chargers at the South Lake Tahoe Government Center (Legistar file 14-1084). In the Board adopted AQMD budgets for the last nine fiscal years, funding has been allocated for the purchase and installation of EV chargers at County facilities and at several private businesses.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
N/A
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
For the FY 2025/26 and 2026/27 project period, sufficient funding is available. Funding has already been allocated in AQMD’s FY 2025/26 Budget. If the project is not completed during FY 2025/26, the remaining funding will be included in AQMD’s proposed FY 2026/27 Budget.
By implementing electricity charges, the District will reduce its annual use of AB 2766 funds for electricity costs. In FY 2024/25, electricity expenses paid with AB 2766 funds totaled $59,068.13, and these costs have been increasing each year. Savings generated from the new chargers will be redirected to more cost-effective motor vehicle emission reduction programs, including the 2766 Grants (such as shuttle services), Drive Clean (zero-emission vehicle incentives), CHARGE (residential EVSE incentives), and EV charger grants for businesses and public agencies.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Forward a signed copy of the Minute Order to AQMD.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENTS
Strategic Innovation
CONTACT
Rania Serieh, Air Pollution Control Officer