April 20, 2016 - Joint Venture joined with Santa Clara leaders and electric vehicle (EV) industry officials today to celebrate the opening of the Santa Clara Electric Vehicle Charging Center, the largest public multi-standard electric vehicle charging facility in California. Located at the Tasman Parking Garage near the Santa Clara Convention Center, Levi’s Stadium and the California Great America theme park, the center features 48 Level 2 chargers and one DC Fast Charger.
Joint Venture’s climate and sustainability initiatives played a key role in convening the partners for the project, including Santa Clara’s municipal electric utility Silicon Valley Power (SVP), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), ChargePoint and MJR Electric. Together they obtained a grant of $393,000 from the California Energy Commission to pay for the equipment and construction of the charging center. Santa Clara staff provided labor, and operational expenses of the facility are expected to be covered by usage fees from EV drivers.
“Electrification of transportation is a huge environmental priority and a major economic opportunity for our region,” said Joint Venture President and CEO Russell Hancock. “Under SEEDZ and through collaboration with other organizations and agencies, we endeavor to promote reliable access to EV infrastructure across our region. This new charging center is an important example of that.”
“This is a milestone in our city’s commitment to fighting climate change, and it sets a standard for local action in California,” said Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor. “This garage also features a rooftop solar array and state-of-the-art power storage capability.”
The six-story parking structure has a 370-kilowatt photovoltaic installation and uses battery technology from Green Charge Networks to help offset peak power demand with stored power to lower costs. While the solar power does not go directly to the charging stations, it does flow into the local SVP grid, which in turn provides the facility’s electricity.
In addition to these 49 charging stations, there are six EV chargers at the Santa Clara Convention Center and 10 in the Levi’s Stadium parking lot.
The grand opening ceremony also featured a showcase of the latest models from local EV dealers. Industry analysts say that California accounts for 40 percent of EV sales in the U.S., where over 116,000 EVs were reported sold in 2015.
About Joint Venture Silicon Valley
Joint Venture Silicon Valley was established in 1993. A non-profit organization, the group convenes the region’s leaders across every major sector – government, business, academia, labor, and community organizations. The organization provides data and analysis on our region’s challenges, and leads initiatives to address those challenges. Joint Venture is funded by cities and counties, local companies, colleges and universities, labor and workforce institutions and foundations. For more information, visit www.jointventure.org.
