Consultant presents EV charging feasibility study and recommends 'EV-ready' zoning steps

SRF Consulting Group transportation planner Alexander Brown presented an electric-vehicle (EV) charging assessment to the Waupaca Plan Commission and briefed commissioners on current local demand, charger types, funding programs and a set of implementation recommendations.

Brown said the study — provided to the city at no charge through a technical-assistance program — summarized federal, state and local EV environments and suggested criteria for identifying future publicly accessible charging locations. He urged the commission to emphasize EV readiness in new construction by requiring ‘‘EV-ready’’ electrical conduit, capacity and wiring in parking areas so chargers can be installed later without costly retrofits.

Brown described the three common charger categories — Level 1 (home), Level 2 (public-facing) and Level 3/DC fast chargers — and said Level 2 units suit downtown and other locations with multi-hour dwell times, while Level 3 chargers are typically sited near highways or travel centers. He noted local EV ownership is growing, that multifamily-residence households in the city (roughly 34% of households) will depend on public-facing charging as adoption increases, and that tourism raises seasonal demand.

On policy and funding, Brown outlined federal NEVI funding and Wisconsin’s recent statutory change (Act 121, March 2024) allowing local governments to own and operate chargers and to charge a reasonable fee per kilowatt-hour; he also noted a state excise of 3¢/kWh applies to some chargers installed after March 22, 2024, and that that revenue flows to the state rather than to host localities. Brown pointed to examples from Eau Claire, Middleton and Stevens Point for siting and zoning approaches and recommended incentives such as reduced yard or parking requirements or TIF agreements to encourage EV-ready infrastructure.

Commissioners asked about costs for DC fast chargers; Brown said costs vary widely depending on site electrical upgrades and could run into the tens of thousands of dollars for retrofits, while Level 2 installations are typically lower. Staff said the report will be kept on file and no action was required from the commission at this meeting.

"The scope of the study was to summarize the existing state, federal and local EV charging environments and provide criteria for identifying future public-facing charging stations," Brown said, adding that promoting EV readiness in new construction is the top recommendation.

The SRF report will remain on planning staff’s files for follow-up and for use in future project and zoning reviews.