Evaluating Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Possibilities A Technical and Financial Assessment of Potential Electric Vehicle Charging Sites in Siskiyou County, California Project Summary Community: Siskiyou County, California Technical Assistance: Electric Vehicle Station Feasibility Analysis Former Use: Various Future Use: Residential, Commercial, Office Siskiyou County is in northern California along the Oregon border and is known for its abundant natural resources and forests. Once supported by several lumber and mill industries, the county is now looking for other sustainable economic opportunities for its rural communities as the lumber industry slows. The Siskiyou Economic Development Council (SEDC) maintains an inventory of brownfield properties and is interested in understanding how the addition of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations could support economic development for rural locations across the county. The Community's Challenge SEDC is committed to sustainable economic development that supports the communities of Siskiyou County and identified EV stations as a potential impetus for tourism for several small towns. The push for EV infrastructure mirrors the growing uptake of electric vehicles across the country and aligns with California's clean transportation goals. However, SEDC needed support to evaluate the economic and technical feasibility of installing and operating EV stations in rural locations. EPA's Land Revitalization Technical Assistance In 2022, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Land Revitalization Program provided contractor technical assistance to SEDC to evaluate multiple brownfield sites for the potential addition of EV charging stations and identify the potential economic benefits of EV development. The team supported SEDC in evaluating and selecting three model brownfield sites across the county for analysis. The sites were selected based on the redevelopment plans, locations, and key features. The team developed an Excel-based model to estimate annual costs and revenue and proposed several scenarios of the type and number of EV chargers at. each site based on plans for redevelopment. The model incorporated many assumptions to determine the feasibility for each site, including environmental remediation costs, operation and maintenance costs, electricity costs, and charger utilization rates. Each site was evaluated over a 10-year period for three different utilization rates. For all three sites, there was at least one profitable, high utilization scenario, demonstrating the importance of sitting EV charging infrastructure based on where the county anticipates high user rates. On the economic development side, the team evaluated the potential draw of EV chargers in a location for new businesses to co-locate. The team investigated the existing market and labor force conditions of Siskiyou County and evaluated what activities would be feasible on the three target sites to complement EV charging infrastructure development. Rendering of Proposed Redevelopment of Recreational Trail Parking Lot at the Landing Site in Mt. Shasta, CA For more information, contact Eric Byous, EPA Region 9 Brownfields Program, at Bvous.Eric@epa.gov. United States Environmental Protection ^*^1 M * Agency Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization 560-F-23-340 ------- |