Projects shall provide safe, convenient, cost-competitive,
reliable, and easy access for drivers to recharge mass-produced electric
vehicles or refuel hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with industry standard
equipment. Projects shall address gaps in the state's low-carbon transportation
infrastructure which may include expanding the network of infrastructure
geographically along underserved roadways, upgrading existing stations with
equipment that is compatible with more makes and models of alternative fuel
vehicles, and adding stations in high-usage areas to provide fault tolerance
and redundancy. The department may prioritize projects located in or benefiting
vulnerable populations and highly impacted communities. The department shall
ensure projects meet the following requirements:
(1) Bidders must have private sector partners
contributing to the project who stand to gain indirect value from development
of the project including, but not limited to, motor vehicle manufacturers,
dealerships, retail stores, utilities, economic developers, and tourism
stakeholders;
(2) Bidders must
demonstrate that the proposed project will be valuable to alternative fuel
vehicle drivers and will address a gap in the state's low carbon transportation
infrastructure;
(3) Projects must
be expected to be profitable and sustainable over time for the owner-operator
and/or the private sector partner, inclusive of indirect value
gained;
(4) Bidders must specify
how the project captures the indirect value of station deployment to the
private sector partner;
(5) Bidders
and their private sector partners must agree to operate and maintain the
stations for at least five years and must meet the requirements in the
department's solicitation materials for equipment offerings, interoperability
standards, station operations and uptime, public access, payment options,
customer service, signage, and period of performance; and
(6) Bidders and their private sector partners
can reinvest any proceeds from ongoing operations to upgrade equipment and
expand the site to accommodate higher utilization rates in the
future.
