Facilities Tool – Municipal Fleet Electrification Tools

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Step 1. Framing Questions

Note: If you are not your organization's facilities manager, it is important to talk to your facilities manager before diving in!

Here are some questions to help guide your analysis and conversations within your organization:

1. Where and how is facility data collected and organized?

Data collection and organization is a primary challenge in many EVSE/DER integration projects. It is important to understand how your organization tracks key data sources such as single-line diagrams, electrical panel info, electricity use/demand data, architectural site plans, and reports on future plans that might affect any of these.
Our tool will help you organize your data into a clear format that will be used in this analysis and can help you in projects beyond this one.

2. Are you interested in analyzing sites that are not domicile facilities?

If so, this tool will provide information on available power capacity and DER suitability but will not be able to compare this information to future EV charging needs.

Having these conversations will be key to successfully completing the fleet analysis process.

Step 2.1. Data Collection and Organization

As with the Fleet Electrification Tool, a complete dataset will streamline the facilities feasibility assessment process, saving time and money. We have prepared a template detailing all the fields you will need to help you to be efficient in your data collection exercise.

The Facilities Database Template outlines and describes all necessary data fields so you can easily create a database ready for a facilities assessment. Some of this data is prepared for you by the Fleet Electrification Tool; you can find it in the "Facilities Inputs" sheet on the Fleet Electrification Tool. Once all the fleet information is in the template, you will then copy and paste it into the Facilities Assessment Tool.

Click here to download the Facilities Database Template

The next two pages provide guidance on navigating the Facilities Database Template and give pointers on where to find your fleet's data.
We know the amount of data can be overwhelming and time-intensive, but take your time. We will be here when you are done!

Step 2.2. Navigating the Facilities Database Template

In the Facilities Database Template, there is only one tab: the "Facilities Data Template" tab. Here, each data field is described in a note on the field header, with example data inputs below it. These fields are grouped by category to help you understand why this information is being gathered and what part of the analysis it will impact.

Step 2.3. Where to Find Data

The data required for this analysis can likely be found in the following sources:

As mentioned earlier, the Municipal Fleet Assessment Tool prepares a few of the inputs necessary for the Facilities Assessment Tool. You can find these four in the "Facilities Inputs" sheet, where any domicile facilities you included in that analysis will be listed for you along with projected daily charging needs and the projected number of EVs at that site.
- In the Facilities Outputs tab, you'll see a dropdown list named "Choose Analysis Year". Since the Fleet Planning Tool staggers the rollout of EVs in your fleet, this variable will allow you to fine-tune the data you'll copy into the Facilities Assessment Tool and give you more control over the analysis parameters. By default, the analysis year will just be set to the last year of vehicle rollout (15 years after your fleet data input year).
For electrical information, we recommend looking for single-line diagrams, electrical panel diagrams/charts, bills from your electric service provider, and architectural site plans.
Be sure you also look for any documents regarding future additions/changes to your sites - having the appropriate data for your analysis time frame is important for getting good results.

Step 2.4. Getting Acquainted with the Tool

Okay, now that you have framed your approach and organized your data, it is time to dive into the analysis! To bring some analytical muscle, we have provided a downloadable Excel workbook to drive the analysis. Please download and open it so we can walk you through some key points.

Click here to download the full Facilities Assessment Tool

The four tabs you will see in the file you downloaded are as follows:

Parameters: On the Parameters tab you will enter key information about your organization’s typical power supply, charger needs, and EV usage.

Facility Data Template: This is identical to the data organizer you downloaded and filled out in Step 2. All you have to do now is copy and paste the information from that sheet into this one!

Rankings: This tab will give you a high-level overview of your sites and their potential for EVSE/DER integration in order to help you prioritize any further analyses. There will be a more detailed description in Step 3.

Detailed Results: This tab gives you some more fine-grained results that maybe help you as you begin to dive deeper into the sites you prioritized with the “Rankings” tab.

You're almost ready to copy the data from the Facilities Database Template into the Facilities Assessment Tool. The next slide will introduce you to the "Parameters" tab.

Step 2.5. Setting Up Your Analysis Parameters

Before copying the Facilities Database Template into the Excel Tool, there are several parameters that you should ensure are valid for your organization's use case. The parameters are located in the "Parameters" tab, and organized by groups. All cells editable by the user are marked with purple text. A summary and instructions for each is provided below.

Parameters

Power Supply

The Power Supply Group allows the user to input variables that impact the energy intake to the organization’s facilities.

Power Factor: Power factor is common measure in power systems and power electronics of how much power is actually useful to the consumer. In brief, it is the ratio of real power (in kW) to apparent power (in kVA). This ratio can be affected by nonlinear electronics (like inverters), which affect power quality, and capacitive/inductive loads (like HVAC) that inject/absorb reactive power, respectively. If you don’t know what the typical power factor at your facilities, don’t worry. The default value of 0.8 is a good heuristic.
Carport kW/sq ft: This is an estimate of how many kW of PV capacity you expect to be able to install per square foot of parking lot space used. If you already have an estimate from a contractor, you can use it instead of the default value that is already set.
Roof kW/sq ft: This is a similar estimate of how many kW of PV capacity you expect to be able to install per square foot of roof space used. This value will often be lower due to the tighter constraints encountered when roof-mounting PV arrays. If you already have an estimate from a contractor, you can use it instead of the default value that is already set.
Yield (kWh/kW): This is an estimate of how much energy you expect to produce per kW of installed PV capacity. This value will changed based on your geographical location, the surroundings, and the specific setup of your PV system. If you already have an estimate from a contractor, you can use it instead of the default value that is already set.

Charger Infrastructure

The Charger Infrastructure Group allow the user to input variables that impact the cost and performance of the EV chargers installed at the organization’s facilities.

Trenching Costs ($/ft): Trenching is the process of laying down cables below ground level to deliver power. This value estimates the cost of laying down the requisite cables for all EVSE that the organization will need to install at their facilities, based on the distance from the main panel at each site to its respective charging station. If you have an estimate from a contractor, you can use that instead of the default value.
Charger Capacity (kW): This is the maximum power delivered to vehicles by any Level 2 EV chargers installed at the organization’s sites. For most use cases 6.6 kW is a good estimate, but you can change this value (up to 7.2 kW) if you expect to be using your chargers differently.
Charger Costs ($/unit): This is the expected price of each Level 2 charger at the organization’s facilities.
Installation Costs ($): These four values are estimates for the labour costs of installing each charger at your facilities. While we do not recommend changing them (note they are not in purple text), you may change them if you see fit. For your reference, the values were taken from this study.

Other

The Other Group contains any variables that are important but don’t fit into the prior categories.

Dwell Time (hrs): This is the amount of time the average vehicle, across the organization’s entire fleet, will spend at its domicile location, not in use.

Now that you're familiar with the "Parameters" tab and understand how they relate to your analysis, make any changes you see fit and then copy over the data from the Facilities Database Template. The next steps will explain the significance of the rankings and detailed results for each site.

Step 3: Site Feasibility Ranking

In the "Rankings" tab, you'll find your sites listed out with two columns. The first column tells you simply if each site can meet its project EV charging need with either a "Yes", "No", or "Yes, with managed charging" result. The next column gives a ranking of the site's potential for the whole picture of EVSE and DER on a simple A, B, C scale. These ratings are calculated by considering some key features of the site, including but not limited to:

Amount of excess power capacity left on the current panel, in kW
Ratio of trenching costs to overall hardware and installation costs for EVSE
PV Generation generation potential of parking and roof areas

These calculations are the used to score each site using the aforementioned scale of A, B, or C ratings. This high-level approach will help you prioritize any further analysis so you don’t waste time and money on more detailed studies of facilities that aren’t likely to be fruitful.

Please note that it may be the case that none or even all of your sites will receive an "A" ranking (or any ranking for that matter) and this is only meant to guide your prioritization of future analyses. Furthermore, a "C" score does not mean that EVSE/DER integration is impossible at that site, only that it may take some extra work and the rewards may not be very clear at first glance.

If the tool estimates that a facility is unable to meet projected charging needs, this does not mean that it is entirely impossible. Rather, it means that your current electrical infrastructure (such as the electrical switchgear) would need to be upgraded in order to meet projected demand. This can often be a costly, difficult to estimate process, so we recommend discussing this option with your service provider and experienced, local contractors if your organization is committed to installing EVSE.

Step 4: Detailed Results for Further Analysis

The next view of results is the “Detailed Results” sheet. Here the tool gives you some finer-grained estimates about various parameters to provide a good starting point with which to kick off any future analyses. These outputs are described in detail below.

Site Info

Site Info will contain data that is important for identifying and organizing individual facilities in your organization.

Facility Name: This is the name of the facility, as defined during the data entry steps.

Electrical

The Electrical Group gives you important information regarding your electrical service.

Estimated Available Power (kW): This is the amount of power capacity left on your main service panel, based on your current loads and the maximum power that can safely pass through the main panel.

EVSE

The EVSE Group contains within it two identically-structured subgroups to allow for comparison between charging strategies. For this reason, only the distinct data fields will be described.

Minimum Number of Ports: This is the minimum number of ports your site must have in order to meet its projected EV charging needs.
Numbers of Ports that Building Can Handle: This is the maximum additional number of ports that the main service panel can support.
Total Hardware + Installation Costs: This gives an estimate for how much installing EVSE will cost at that site. This does not include trenching costs.
Trenching Costs: This is the amount of money it will cost to install the cables that service the EVSE. It is the same regardless of charging strategies.

The PV Group contains estimates about potential PV installations.

Potential Annual Production (kWh): This is an estimate for the maximum available PV energy production per year.

BESS

BESS stands for Battery Electrical Storage System(s). This group contains information that pertains to the feasibility and possible benefits of potential BESS at the site.

Demand Factor (Peak kW/Avg kW): This is the ratio between the yearly peak and average demands at that site. The higher this value gets, the more beneficial BESS will tend to be.

Step 5: Final Considerations

Now that you have completed an analysis using the Facilities Assessment Tool, you are well-positioned to make an informed decision about further analyses and implementation of EVSE and DERs at your organization’s sites. Below, we summarize potential next steps based on various outcomes for each facility.

Outcome	Next Steps
Facility assessment indicated high feasibility of DERs (e.g. A or B) and ability to support projected charging need, with or without energy management	Detailed Feasibility Study & Procurement of EVSE & DER
Facility assessment indicated high feasibility of DERs (e.g. A or B) but no ability to support projected charging need	Detailed Feasibility Study & Procurement of DER only
Facility assessment indicated low feasibility of DERs and an ability to support projected charging need	Design & Procurement of EVSE only
Facility assessment indicated low feasibility of DERs and an ability to support projected charging with energy management	Explore hardware/software solutions to manage charging needs (see Resources)
Regardless of DER feasibility, facility assessment indicated no ability to support projected charging needs	Explore infrastructure incentives to upgrade electrical service (e.g. PG&E Fleet Program)

The free tools accessible on EVFleet.tools are intended for general guidance only. Users should directly engage a professional consultant or engineer for any design or purchasing decisions. EVFleet.Tools and all affiliates take no responsibility and are not liable for any damage caused through decisions made through use of these products. All use of these tools is at your own risk and no implied warranty should be inferred.

Required Data	Optional Data
Equipment ID	Expected Service Life (yrs)
Make	Fuel Usage
Model	FHWA Vehicle Class
Model Year	Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
Purchase Price
Aux. Eq. Cost
Current Life-to-Date (LTD) Maintenance Cost
Fuel Type
Powertrain
Department
Domicile Location
Meter Type
Beginning Meter Read
Ending Meter Read
Body Class

EV Fleet Tools

Step 1. Framing Questions

Step 2.1. Data Collection and Organization

Step 2.2. Navigating the Facilities Database Template

Step 2.3. Where to Find Data

Step 2.4. Getting Acquainted with the Tool

Step 2.5. Setting Up Your Analysis Parameters

Step 3: Site Feasibility Ranking

Step 4: Detailed Results for Further Analysis

Step 5: Final Considerations

List of Data Fields

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