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Volume 40 - Issue 36 - September 9, 2021

State of Kansas

Department of Transportation

Request for Information

Introduction

Through this Request for Information (RFI), the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) seeks to gather relevant information from industry stakeholders and potential applicants to help establish program criteria for determining eligibilities, technical specifications, station locations, and other program elements to subsequently aid in the development of a Request for Proposals (RFP). The eventual RFP will assist KDOT in administering Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Funds for the Electric Vehicle Direct Current Fast-Charging (EV DCFC) Station Installation Program.

The following sections outline draft program elements and expectations. Please review all sections and follow the guidance provided in Section 9 “Instructions to RFI Respondents” to prepare your letter of interest to this RFI.

Background

KDOT is administering approximately $2,000,000 available from the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust funds allocated for investment in EV charging infrastructure. KDOT has identified approximately twelve preliminary locations for the installation of DC Fast Charging stations (50 kW or greater) to help advance the state’s effort to support publicly accessible charging stations every 50 miles along primary corridors. The twelve preliminary locations have been identified along the I-70, I-35, and I-135/US-81 corridors by the Clean Cities EV Working Group.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants may include one or more of the following organization types:

  • Businesses/vendors
  • Utility companies
  • Federal, state, local, or tribal government agencies
  • Nonprofit organizations

Applicants are strongly encouraged to demonstrate collaboration with local governments including cities, towns, and county governments as well as other local partners such as other public and private stakeholders. Proposals that have strong support from local and regional stakeholders will be evaluated more favorably.

Applicants are required to collaborate with the local electric utility and include appropriate documentation from the utility, such as a letter or service notice, indicating power supply availability for the proposed project. The following link provides a map of electric utility service areas in Kansas: https://kcc.ks.gov/images/PDFs/maps/ks_electric_certified_areas.pdf.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to identify one or more potential charging station location hosts; and must present a plan for five years of ownership and maintenance of the equipment and public access. Proposals that have identified an interested charging station host will be evaluated more favorably.

Applicants are required to provide a description of the business model which includes utility rates, operational costs, cost to charge at the stations, and anticipated revenue. The proposed pricing structures and rates to charge drivers should be fair and reasonable.

Funding and Reporting Requirements

KDOT will administer approximately $2,000,000 to awardees for the installation of DCFC charging stations at twelve preliminary locations and along the identified priority corridors.

KDOT will reimburse up to 80% of eligible costs for charging stations installation. Total average reimbursable cost per installation is expected to be approximately $150,000. Donation of land, driveway access, or reduced energy charges to the customer are not reimbursable expenses.

In-kind match and non-cash match sources will not be eligible match sources. Only expenses incurred on eligible costs may be considered toward the match.

Eligible Costs

Only costs necessary for and directly connected to the acquisition, installation, operation, and maintenance of the EV charging equipment are eligible for reimbursement. The following items are eligible for reimbursement up to 80% upon project completion:

  • DC fast charging equipment costs
  • Charger installation costs
  • Equipment shipping costs
  • Necessary electric service upgrades and connection of the charger to electric service; including utility upgrades such as transformers and line extensions
  • Other hard costs of site preparation (concrete, conduit, cable/wiring)
  • Signage and lighting (directly associated with the charging infrastructure)
  • Networking costs (up to five years)
  • Charging equipment extended warranties and service contracts (up to five years)
  • Other equipment and non-labor project costs including design and engineering and project management
  • Permit costs/fees
  • Warranties for equipment (up to five years)

Ineligible Costs

Costs not directly connected to the acquisition, installation, operation, and maintenance of the EV charging equipment are not eligible for reimbursement. Ineligible costs include but are not limited to the following:

  • Purchase or rental of real estate
  • Other capital costs (construction of buildings or parking facilities)
  • General maintenance (other than that of the EV charging equipment)
  • Administrative costs
  • Battery storage serving the charging equipment
  • Solar photovoltaic panels providing power to the charging equipment
  • Cost of electricity to power the EV charging equipment
  • Restriping or repaving/resurfacing of parking lots or outside of DCFC installation

Award Payment Schedule

Invoices may be submitted for a one-time reimbursement following the completion of the applicant’s committed installation(s). Invoices will be reviewed and approved by KDOT and must include photographs of the installed charging station, receipts for equipment, contractor hours, installation costs, and supplies. If applicant wishes to have any five-year operational and maintenance expenses included, prepaid invoices will need to be provided with invoice. All project work must be completed within 12 months from the date the KDOT agreement is signed.

Reporting

Awardees are required to have their charging stations registered on the following databases for a minimum of five years following the date of project completion:

Awardees are required to provide usage reports on a prescribed schedule that will be established in agreement with KDOT. The report will include but is not limited to, the number of charging sessions, average kilowatt-hours used per charging session, maximum instantaneous peak power, hours of equipment downtime, and charging duration. Such information will help the program better understand the demand for charging and usage trends.

All awardees must submit annual station utilization data to KDOT for a minimum of five years after project completion. The following information shall be submitted for each charger installed:

  • Connect and disconnect times
  • Start and end charge times
  • Maximum instantaneous peak power
  • Average power
  • Number of charging events
  • Total energy (kWh) per changing event
  • Rolling 15-minute average power
  • Date/time stamp
  • Unique ID for charging event
  • Unique ID for identifying the EVSE
  • Other non-dynamic EVSE information such as GPS ID
  • Percentage of station downtime

Site Locations

Proposed locations: Must be within in 5 miles of corridor exit.
I-70 Oakley/Grainfield/Grinnell area
I-70 WaKeeney
I-70 Russell
I-70 Ellsworth/US-156 exit
I-70 Abilene to Junction City Area
I-70 Manhattan to Paxico Area
I-35 Ottawa
I-35 Emporia
I-35 Cassoday to Matfield-Green area
I-35 Belle Plain – Wellington Area
I-135 Newton/North Newton
US-81 Concordia

Equipment and Installation Requirements

Equipment

  • Stations with two DCFC must be capable of providing at least 150 kW charging for a single vehicle and at least 50 kW simultaneous charging for two vehicles.
  • Stations with four DCFC must be capable of providing at least 150 kW simultaneous charging for two vehicles and at least 50 kW simultaneous charging for four vehicles.
  • Stations must be backward compatible to CHAdeMO v0.9 and SAE J1772 Oct2012 or other similar standard to allow model year 2010 or newer DC charging equipped vehicles to charge at lower kW.
  • The DCFC and supporting equipment must comply with NEC (2020edition) Article 625 and related articles and tables.
  • DCFC and supporting electrical components, enclosures, and mounting systems must be built to UL 2202 and UL2594 standards or equivalent.
  • DCFC and supporting equipment shall be listed by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).
  • DCFC and supporting equipment shall comply with state and local codes and electrification requirements including, but not limited to, third party certification as appropriate (documentation to be included for each unit).
  • DCFC shall have payment or access control to allow users to authenticate using a credit card (magnetic stripe and chip card) using equipment at the station. KDOT will consider additional payment methods beyond credit cards including use of RFID device, NFC, smart phone apps, or other identifying and authorizing methods. These additional payment methods shall operate on equipment, software, and networks using publicly available open standard(s), such as Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) v1.6. The DCFC should have back-end capabilities to collect payment or provide reporting mechanisms such that another system, through secure re-programming of back-end server location and credentials, would be able to collect payment and provide access control.
  • DCFC shall be type evaluated through the National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) and the installation and use shall comply with all requirements of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook 44 Section 3.40. Electric Vehicle Fueling Systems–Tentative Code and shall have received safety certification by a nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL). j. DCFC shall be indicated and recorded in megajoules (MJ) or kilowatt-hours (kWh) and decimal subdivisions thereof, with the value of the smallest unit of indicated delivery by a DCFC, and recorded delivery if the DCFC is equipped to record, shall be 0.005 MJ or 0.001 kWh.
  • Physical Appearance, Function, and Design
    • DCFC and supporting equipment must utilize tamper-resistant screws and design but provide a locked or easy opening mechanism for service work.
    • DCFC enclosure must be constructed for use outdoors in accordance with UL50, Standard for Enclosures for Electrical Equipment, NEMA, Type 3R, or better to protect against blown dust or rain. Equivalent standards may be used if it is in accordance with or otherwise meeting the requirements of UL50.
    • Display screens must be protected from malfunctions due to condensation and normal local weather conditions.
    • Equipment and display screens should be sturdy enough to withstand most types of vandalism
    • DCFC and supporting equipment must be capable of operating over beyond an ambient temperature range of minus 22 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Applicants should provide a derating curve for their equipment within this temperature range.
    • DCFC shall include barriers to prevent damage from equipment used for snow removal.
    • DCFC must incorporate a cord management system or method to minimize the potential for cable entanglement, user injury, or connector damage from lying on the ground, and comply with NEC articles 625 as it applies to cord management systems.
    • Additional preferred specs include:
      • Adequate surge protection for proposed equipment.
      • Operating humidity at up to 95% at +50C non-condensing.
      • Power conversion efficiency of 90%, though higher is encouraged.
      • Total Harmonic Distortion (iTHD) of < 5% or whatever is required to be compliant with local utility policy.
      • A power factor of 90% or better.

Networking

  • DCFC must connect to a network via Wi-Fi or cellular connection using multiple carriers. Applicants must clearly state how possible network security concerns will be prevented, addressed, and managed.
  • Network must be PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliant to allow for credit card payment.
  • Network must provide the option for remote management and access control.
  • Stations shall collect usage data for required annual data reporting to KDOT (see Reporting section).
  • The operator must have remote diagnostics and the ability to “remote start” the equipment.
  • Warranties must include repair and replacement for vandalism and be valid for a minimum of five years.

Location

  • Within 5 miles of the corridor, favorable evaluations will be given for closer installations.
  • ADA compliant.

Amenities

  • Station site shall have 24-hour access to the chargers and well-maintained, illuminated restrooms. The restrooms should be supplied with potable water.
  • At a minimum, the sites shall supply basic amenities such as vending machines or fast food.
  • Stations shall have access to Wi-Fi and/or cellular service for customers while they charge.
  • Access to full-service amenities within a short walking distance is preferred, such as local restaurants, retail shopping, or tourist attractions.
  • Each station site shall have adequate parking to allow for the maximum number of vehicles that can be charged simultaneously (at least two vehicles per site).
  • Station sites shall have dusk-to-dawn area lighting.
  • The sites must provide or have access to shelter for inclement weather.
  • Applicants shall clearly describe safety precautions implemented on site for EV drivers charging their vehicles with the installed equipment.

Payment

  • The charging equipment must be capable of supporting multiple point-of-sale methods including credit or debit cards without incurring any additional fees, inconvenience, or delays versus other payment or access control methods. Other payment options may include pay per use subscription methods, RFID or smart cards, and smart phone applications.
  • Equipment shall allow for flexible pricing including, but not limited to, per minute or per hour, by kWh, by time of day.
  • Equipment and software shall be futureproofed to allow for alternative forms of payment as payment technology evolves.

Operation and Maintenance

  • 24/7 customer service availability.
  • Five-year service guarantee.
  • Must register with the Alternative Fuels Data Center and PlugShare.
  • The applicant will be responsible for ensuring payment of all operating and maintenance costs including, but not limited to, payment of leases, rents, royalties, licenses, fees, taxes, revenue sharing, utilities, and electric power supply for the charging equipment and supporting elements, such as area lighting.
  • The applicant is responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the chargers including cables, ancillary equipment, and any awnings, canopies, shelters, and information display kiosks for signage associated with the charging station. “Maintain” as used in this RFI shall mean “to provide all needed repairs or desired and approved alteration, as well as regular maintenance needed to ensure optimal performance and minimize downtime. Equipment shall be kept safe and presentable.”
  • The applicant must address any issues such as, but not limited to, malfunctions and repairs. The applicant must propose a plan to ensure that the equipment is operational at least 95% of the time based on a week of 24 hours a day and seven days (no more than 5 hours cumulative downtime in a seven-day period). It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the 95% uptime requirement is met. For significant or complex issues leading to extended downtime (such as vandalism), applicants shall notify appropriate sources so drivers are aware, including, but not limited to, website and application hosts, as appropriate.
  • Applicants shall include snow removal plan to ensure access during/after inclement weather.
  • The applicant must provide customer support service that is accessible 24/7. This may include an onsite station operator or a toll-free telephone number clearly posted near the charging equipment that is available to EV drivers accessing the charging equipment.

Upgradability

  • Applicants shall include future-proofing strategies such as larger or additional concrete pads, transformers, and other utility-related equipment, and larger and/or additional conduit to avoid having additional construction and conduit costs in the future.
  • Applicants are strongly encouraged to consider opportunities for current or future use of onsite storage, dispatchable load, and renewable energy.

Draft Procurement Schedule

The following is a preliminary procurement schedule. Recipients will have 12 months from award to install charging stations.

Milestone Date
RFI responses due to KDOT September 24, 2021
RFP is sent to Kansas Register October 29, 2021
Pre-Proposal meeting November 4 or 5, 2021
RFP responses due to KDOT November 19, 2021
Project selection December 10, 2021
Project reporting finalized December 31, 2022

Preliminary Proposal Evaluation Criteria

All proposals will be reviewed and scored by a scoring committee. Late proposals, ineligible applicants and projects, and incomplete proposals will not be considered for scoring. A 100-point scale with the following criteria will be used in scoring:

Criterion Possible Points
Site location: interested charging station host; meets minimum amenities requirement; proximity to highway; hours of operation 20
Business Model and Budget are complete, well-documented, realistic 1 15
Equipment scaled by DC charging rate from 50kW to 150 or higher 10
Compliance with ADA Requirements 10
Demonstrated commitment, timeline and experience 10
Upgradability and future proofing 10
Innovative energy solutions (e.g. battery storage, renewable energy source such as dedicated solar-voltaic system) 10
Provision of free Wi-Fi for customers 5
Recipient matching funds higher than required 5
Partnerships with community and/or businesses identified; including charging station host(s) and participating utility company(s) 2 5
1 Failure to include this required documentation may result in disqualification from the eventual RFP solicitation event.
2 Failure to provide appropriate documentation from the utility, such as a letter or service notice, indicating power supply availability for the proposed project may result in disqualification from the eventual RFP solicitation event.

Instructions to RFI respondents

KDOT appreciates your review of this RFI to provide input and information for the successful execution of the funding available under the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust. Your responses are acceptable in a letter format. We appreciate brevity and completeness. Please feel free to comment on RFI information and ask for clarity. We would appreciate your letter of interest following this outline of information needs and questions:

  1. Lead applicant name
    Company name/vendor/business entity/other
    Address
    Phone and email contact information
  2. Additional teaming partners if known at this time
  3. Costs of a proposed project will include those directly connected to the acquisition, installation, operation, and maintenance of the EV charging equipment. In your opinion what is the maximum award amount that is meaningful per location?
  4. To provide as many charging locations as possible all awards will require monetary match from the awardee. What percentage of match should be required?
  5. Please select the location(s) you would target and add any additional locations along the targeted corridors. Please be clear on your interest in providing a single location or multiple locations.
    6. Proposed locations: Must be within in 5 miles of corridor exit Selected location(s):
    I-70 Oakley/Grainfield/Grinnell area
    I-70 WaKeeney
    I-70 Russell
    I-70 Ellsworth/US-156 exit
    I-70 Abilene to Junction City Area
    I-70 Manhattan to Paxico Area
    I-35 Ottawa
    I-35 Emporia
    I-35 Cassoday to Matfield-Green area
    I-35 Belle Plain – Wellington Area
    I-135 Newton/North Newton
    US-81 Concordia
  6. If awarded, what is the proposed timeline for the acquisition and installation of the EV charging equipment, based on the expectation of awards being announced by Jan. 1, 2022?
  7. What would prevent you from responding to the RFP?
  8. Please indicate your interest in responding to the upcoming RFP.

The letter of interest is required to be considered for final award. A PDF (2MB maximum size) of the RFI response must be emailed to kdot.designcontracts@ks.gov. RFI responses are limited to four pages, the subject line of the reply email and the PDF file name must read “EVCharging_Lead Applicant Name.” The letter of interest is required to be considered for final award and must be received no later than September 24, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. (CST).

Questions about this RFI shall be sent via email to kdot.designcontracts@ks.gov. Questions are due by September 16 and responses will be posted by September 20, 2021, at a link entitled “EV DCFC Station Installation Program” available under “Additional Links” at http://www.ksdot.org/descons.asp.

Michael J. Moriarty
Chief of Transportation Planning

Doc. No. 049431

Secretary of State Seal