Electric and Equitable
Learning from the BlueLA Carsharing Pilot
Electric Vehicle Carshare Case StudyAcknowledgements
April 2019

As the leading public interest organization in the shared mobility sector, the Shared-Use Mobility
Center (SUMC) has provided research, technical assistance, strategic planning & implementation,and public & private partnership facilitation to governments, transportation agencies, private sector
companies, business and community leaders, and research organizations since 2014.
Knowledge creation and deployment are vital if we are to achieve a multi-modal, economically soundtransportation system that works for all. To this end, we look forward to sharing lessons learned frompilots such as this that can help us reach our goal.
This report was made possible through support from The Hewlett Foundation, which advances ideas
and supports institutions that promote a better world.
SUMC is grateful to the California Air Resources Board, the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric
Garcetti, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, the Los Angeles Department of Water andPower, BlueLA, the Salvadoran American Leadership and Education Fund, TRUST South LA, theKoreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, and Mobility Development Partners, whose willingness toshare their insights and operational data made this case study possible. The content and conclusionsof this report are solely those of the contributors.
This report was written by Mary Ferguson and Brian Holland, edited by Leslie Gray, and designed by
Derek Berardi.

© 2019 Shared-Use Mobility Center. All Rights Reserved.

Shared-Use Mobility Center
Chicago, IL
312.448.8083
Los Angeles, CA
818.489.8651
www.sharedusemobilitycenter.org

Contents
Project Summary and Initial Results01

Initial Outcomes

03

Membership and Utilization

03

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

04

Concept and Partnership Development

05

Leadership and Policy Context

05

Public Agency Partnerships

07

Steering Committee and Non-profit Partnerships

07

Public-Private Partnerships/Procurement

08

Public-Private Partnership Business Model

11

Services and Value Proposition

12

Cost and Ownership Structure

13

Revenue Model and Pricing

14

Planning, Permitting and Construction

16

Service Area and Station Site Selection

17

Community Engagement

20

Station Design, Permitting, and Construction

22

Marketing and Operations

25

Marketing25

Operations

26

EV Charging and Rebalancing

26

Member Enrollment and User Experience27

Evaluation and Reporting
Next Steps29
31

Clearing the Air in a Car Culture02

Project Summary
and Initial Results

In 2016, the City of Los Angeles embarked on an electric vehicle (EV) carsharing pilot projectthrough a grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The city’s grant proposal, “L.A.
Leading by Example: Partnering to Pilot EV Carsharing in Disadvantaged Communities,” wasdeveloped by the city with support from lead technical partner SUMC and submitted to CARB in
April 2015. It emphasized serving low-income residents and reducing greenhouse gas emissions(GHGs). Implementing a progressive EV carshare pilot in a historically-steadfast car culture suchas LA would prove to be challenging for a variety of reasons, but BlueLA EV Carshare (BlueLA)
has already begun delivering results to Angelenos through reducing GHGs and providing a newmobility option. This case study evaluates lessons learned in Phase One of the BlueLA project,which concluded in spring 2019.

1

Clearing the Air in a Car Culture
For decades, cars have been synonymous with the LA lifestyle, despite the fact the region has been
plagued by smog and subsequent health impacts such as asthma and cancer. Though air quality has
improved with the introduction of vehicle emissions technologies, vehicle miles travelled (VMTs)
and emissions are ticking back up since more people are buying cars. This situation has created an
opportunity for city and regional leaders to rally support for massive investments in transportation
options such as light rail and bus rapid transit.
BlueLA, a subsidiary of Paris-based Bolloré, offered a new andinnovative transportation option with EV carshare. In Phase I,BlueLA is operating 100 shared battery electric vehicles (BEVs)
in a one-way carsharing model in locations throughout central
LA that include two parking spots with EV charging equipment(electric vehicle supply equipment or EVSE) for each vehicle. The
service is based in “disadvantaged communities” as defined by thestate model that accounts for income and air pollution exposure.
Partners have engaged community stakeholders, residents, andbusinesses throughout the process. The overarching goal is torecruit at least 7,000 new users within three years of project
launch, who are expected to sell or avoid purchase of 1,000 private
vehicles, reducing an estimated 2,150 tons of GHGs annually.

As one project
partner stated, "If
you can do it inLA, you can do it
anywhere."

The city’s bold initiative provides valuable insights that can inform expansion of the program
locally and replication in cities nationwide. Even in a city where car ownership is the overwhelming
standard, promising trends suggest a successful future for the program, leading one project partner
to state: “If you can do it in LA, you can do it anywhere.”
Project timeline• 04/08/15 - Project proposal submittal• 10/30/15 - Grant agreement execution• 12/09/15 - Project kickoff meeting with CARB, City of LA, SUMC
• 02/22/16 - RFQ solicitation issued• 01/17/17 - BlueLA contract in effect• 06/09/17 - Soft launch of demonstration site
• 04/20/18 - Commercial launch• February 2019 - 22 sites completed and operational at time of publication2

Initial Outcomes
BlueLA commenced operations in April 2018. As of this writing ten months later, just over halfof the vehicles and associated stations that will ultimately be completed in Phase I have been
deployed; there are currently 68 vehicles circulating among 110 charge points at 22 stations
across the service area. Growth in membership, utilization, and GHG reductions are predicted
to continue as network effects and multi-modal connections are further realized. Nevertheless,early data indicates that the program is performing well and is on track to reach the goals set
out in the city’s early plans and proposals. Initial results are described in greater detail below.

Membership and Utilization
Key vehicle usage and membership statistics as of December 2018:• 1,367 – BlueLA members• 920 - Drivers using the vehicles• 8,253 - Total trips• 158,546 - Total VMTs
The service has seen rapid growth in membership and utilization since the April 2018 launch, asshown in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Station and Membership Growth 20183

Figure 2: Memberships Types and Usage April - Dec 2018

The service has been effective
in reaching low-income
residents, who are able toutilize discounted pricing
as “Community” members
upon income verification.
Community member andStandard member enrollments
have been nearly evenly
split (Fig. 2), but Community
members have taken around
60% of all trips (Fig. 3).

Figure 3: Trips by Membership April - Dec 2018

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Given that the BlueLA pilot is only in its early stages, it is difficult to fully measure its long-term
effects on reducing GHG emissions in LA, particularly in regard to its impact on changing household
travel behavior and reducing driving overall. With that said, the limited data that is available canbe used to outline estimated emission reductions to date. As part of the city’s proposal to CARB,SUMC developed a methodology for calculating emission reductions; the methodology accounts for
reductions from both the substitution of internal combustion engine vehicles with battery electricvehicles (a per-mile emissions factor) and from the impact of carshare on household travel patterns(total VMTs). Using the travel data described above, it is estimated that the BlueLA service has
reduced annual GHG emissions by 260 metric tons since its launch ten months ago, equivalent torecycling more than 90 tons of municipal solid waste.

4Concept and Partnership
Development

The concept of BlueLA EV Carshare emerged from a series of discussions among local andstatewide stakeholders in 2014, which focused on the need for more clean transportation options in
California’s disadvantaged communities. Shared-Use Mobility Center and members of the Charge
Ahead Coalition—including the Coalition for Clean Air, the Greenlining Institute, Environment
California, and the Natural Resources Defense Council—engaged in dialogue with CARB that led
to the creation of a funding program for piloting electric vehicle EV carshare within CARB’s Low
Carbon Transportation program. This section describes how the project concept and partnerships
were developed to advance the city’s ambitious policy goals through this funding opportunity.

Leadership and Policy Context
BlueLA was developed to address a number of city and state goals around transportation, climatechange mitigation, and access for underserved communities. In February 2015, CARB released its
grant solicitation for the Targeted Car Sharing and Mobility Options in Disadvantaged Communities
Pilot Project.1 CARB and other state agencies had been incentivizing transportation electrification
as a means of meeting the state’s climate goal of a 40% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, but EV
carsharing had not yet been a part of the state’s climate change efforts. CARB’s leadership under
Chair Mary Nichols has since enabled several other clean, shared mobility initiatives to spring forth,and the agency plans to invest $32 million dollars in these clean mobility programs over the next
several years.
5Funding for the project is provided through CARB’s Low Carbon Transportation Investments,
which is funded out of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund with proceeds from the state’s capand-trade program. State law requires that these funds be directed to further reductions in GHG
emissions. CARB was also seeking to reduce pollutant emissions in the state’s most disadvantaged
communities (DACs), geographic areas identified by the California Environmental Protection
Agency’s CalEnviroScreen tool2, which assesses all census tracts in the state to identify low-income
areas disproportionately burdened by and vulnerable to multiple sources of pollution.
The Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was specifically interested in the project as it related
to many city initiatives and plans including:• The Sustainable City pLAn, which outlines a goal for GHG reductions (45% below
1990 levels by 2025) and includes strategies for addressing disproportionate 		environmental health impacts3.
• The LA Metro and the Southern California Association of Government’s First/Last
Mile Strategic Plan & Planning Guidelines for improving first and last mile 				connections to and from transit stations for public transit users4.
• The $8.25 million integrated mobility hub project led by LADOT, which focuses on 		
integrated, multi-modal transportation solutions for low-income residents.
• LA Mayor's Office commitment to lease 160 battery electric vehicles to replace 			aging city vehicles.
The Mayor’s Office led the project, championing it to other city agencies until the city received thefunds and LADOT took over to work on implementation after execution of the CARB grant. SUMC
worked closely with the Mayor's Office on concept design and the grant proposal for the BlueLA
project, drawing on SUMC staff’s previous carshare experience with I-GO Carshare in Chicago5 andBuffalo Carshare in New York. Upon receiving the CARB grant, LADOT contracted with SUMC toprovide intensive technical assistance, stakeholder engagement, and project management services.
An LA non-profit organization, LA THRIVES, also provided leadership in the early stages of the
project by convening a search for a Steering Committee made up of community organizations andadvising on many aspects of the outreach effort.

1

https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aqip/solicitations/msc1504solicit.pdf

2

http://www.calepa.ca.gov/EnvJustice/GHGInvest/]

3

http://plan.lamayor.org/

4

http://media.metro.net/docs/sustainability_path_design_guidelines.pdf

SUSUMC's Executive Director Sharon Feigon was previously CEO of I-GO Carshare. Creighton Randall, SUMC Program
Director at that time, previously led Buffalo Carshare.
5

6

Public Agency Partnerships
The Mayor’s Office engaged city departments on relevant aspects of the BlueLA project. The “Tiger
Team” was formed by the Mayor’s Office to foster better communication among multiple city
agencies including: the LADOT, the Bureau of Engineering, the Bureau of Contract Administration,
the LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the Urban Forestry Division, and the Bureau ofStreet Lighting as well as contractors Cable Engineering Services, construction companies Vantage
and Motive Energy, and Charter Communications. Tiger Team meetings took place weekly tocoordinate technical aspects of planning and construction in order to streamline the permitting
process.
Local council districts, including CD-1, CD-10, CD-13 and CD-14, provided feedback on communityand business outreach strategies and have received regular updates on activities, utilization, andfeedback from the community and local businesses.
LADWP has been a core partner to the project, providing in-kind project management support,
station design services, and funding. As a municipal utility, LADWP had more flexibility over a
private utility company through their familiarity with the Mayor's Office and other city agencies,
as well as their leadership in sustainable practices and investment in EV’s through the Charge Up
LA! electric vehicle charger rebate program. LADWP is partially reimbursing BlueLA for 200 charge
points under its EVSE rebate program and providing an installation fee credit for LADWP-related
work. LADWP has also worked alongside LADOT and other city agencies to help streamline thepermitting process.

Steering Committee and Non-Profit Partnerships
A Steering Committee was formed to include the perspective and guidance of community-basedorganizations and to generate culturally appropriate outreach and marketing materials targeted to
the DAC neighborhoods within the project area.
In December 2015, the following organizations were involved in preliminary discussions about
the formation of the Steering Committee: The Coalition for Clean Air, Communities for a Better
Environment, the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), LA Mas, the SalvadoranAmerican Leadership and Education Fund (SALEF), TRUST South LA, and PATH Ventures. The final
three organizations, KIWA, SALEF, and TRUST South LA, were chosen for the committee for theirproximity to the project area as well as their interest in leadership on the project. Each of the threeorganizations signed a letter of agreement with the city outlining their roles and responsibilities,
and have continued on as Steering Committee members through Phase One. An outreach manager
position was staffed by SALEF.

7

Public-Private Partnerships/Procurement
It was recognized early on that the service would be best provided through a public-private
partnership in which vehicles, infrastructure, and operations would be provided by an experienced
EV carshare operator.
LADOT issued a request for qualifications for the project in December 2015, following extensive
internal review and feedback from the Steering Committee and CARB. A mandatory, in-person
pre-bid meeting was well attended, and though the RFQ generated a tremendous amount of initialinterested from vendors throughout the US and other countries, only two proposals were received.
A review panel composed of city agencies and Steering Committee members conducted an in-depth
review of both responses, including interviews and site visits, and ultimately selected BlueSolutions(dba BlueCalifornia, eventually BlueLA), a subsidiary of Paris-based Bolloré, to build and operate theprogram.
Contract negotiations with BlueLA were extensive and complex mainly due to the unique natureof the intended public-private partnership and the limited availability of the city attorney’s office.
The negotiation occurred over the course of six months; several partners felt that this extended
period was necessary to ensure that risks and exposure to city would be managed, while others
saw opportunity to streamline the process, especially by ensuring consistent participation from allnecessary parties.
The finalized contract terms were passed by city council and subsequently signed by Mayor Garcetti
on December 15th, 2016 with an effective date of January 16th, 2017. Information on the council
proceedings (record # 15-227) are located on the LACityClerk Connect website, and specific items
and dates are as follows:• December 12: CAO report• December 12: Transportation Committee report• December 13: Council action• January 31: Above Ground Facilities (AGF) Ordinance Exemption8

Lessons Learned
Local leadership is critical. A project with so muchcomplexity and coordination benefits from earlyleadership by decision-makers such as mayors,
councilmembers, and city managers. In the case of
BlueLA, a clear commitment and lead role from the
Mayor's Office ensured strong inter-departmental
and inter-agency collaboration. Support from highlevel project champions helps to ease skepticism
from other departments, while ensuring that workon the project is prioritized.
The approach to procurement can affect private
sector interest. Some mobility operators may havedecided that the RFQ was too prescriptive in theway funds were supposed to be used, such as therequirement for vendors to contribute a substantial
amount of resources while simultaneously limiting
the project scope to DAC’s. In retrospect, morediverse responses may have been received if the RFQ
had been more open-ended. Some of the limitationsin scoping the project were related to the specificity
of eligible projects in the CARB solicitation and theLos Angeles proposal.
Engage all parties consistently in P3 contract
negotiation. In negotiating a public-private
partnership with no template to draw on, it wassensible to proceed deliberately in developing theoperator’s contract. In the future, identifying all
players needed in the negotiation and engaging themconsistently will help move negotiations forward
more quickly.

9

10

Public-Private
Partnership Business
Model

The BlueLA program is a partnership-based business model in which the city and operator sharein the costs, risks, and rewards of the project. The unique nature of the partnership provides
an opportunity for the BlueLA pilot to include more vehicles and charging units as a result ofcombined efforts and funding, while also being a factor in some of the contract negotiation andpermitting delays.

11Services and Value Proposition
Carsharing is a service model that provides a rental vehicle by the minute or hour, rather thanthe usual daily rental. BlueLA users are charged for the time they use the vehicles. The service
promises to provide many of the benefits of owning a car without some of the costs, such as fuel,insurance and maintenance. BlueLA is an additional transportation option to supplement firstmile/last-mile connections to public transit, offering flexibility to someone that does not own acar, and reducing the need for a second vehicle in a larger household.
The BlueLA service is an example of “one-way” carsharing, which allows the user flexibility ofdestination, rather than being required to return the vehicle to the station of origin. An additional
benefit of BlueLA vehicles is the EV component, which is an environmentally-friendly feature thathelps to reduce air pollution in neighborhoods
and can eventually help to mitigate other healthrelated concerns.
BlueLA vehicles are station-based similar tobikesharing docks. The stations are primarily inthe public-right-of-way and are designed to yieldapproximately two parking/charging spaces foreach BlueLA vehicle. Members can only pickup and drop off cars at these locations and arecharged for the one-way trip. Phase One of the
project will include 100 EVs and 200 charge
points at 40 stations in DAC neighborhoods incentral Los Angeles.

Phase One of the
project will include
100 EVs and 200
charge points at
40 stations

The BlueLA target market are residents inthe project area, with a focus on the DAC
population. To reflect this emphasis, pricing for
the BlueLA program is split into a tiered system: standard membership, community membershipfor the low income qualified, and trial memberships which are valid for one month. The income
threshold is an annual household income less than $31,550 for individuals or $45,050 for afamily of four, defined as very low income by the federal department of Housing and Urban
Development. Community members are required to either show proof of income or proof ofparticipation in a public program (i.e. Medicaid/Medi-Cal, CalFresh, WIC, etc.).

12

Cost and Ownership Structure
Project funding includes a combination of city and state commitments totaling $2,849,343
and $10,000,000 in private investment from BlueLA to install and operate the service during
the five-year pilot. Costs allocated to the CARB grant include community engagement, SUMC
technical services, and parking conversion costs. City costs not covered by the CARB grant
include in-kind staff time, charging infrastructure rebates, and discounts on regular city feesthat would be necessary to operate such a service as BlueLA (Table 1). The fees are waived up
to an agreed-upon amount, beyond which the operator is responsible for the cost.
BlueLA’s $10,000,000 investment in the pilot is largely dedicated to delivering the vehicle fleet,station infrastructure, EVSE equipment, and related fixtures such as reservation kiosks andmeter pedestal.
During the negotiation process it became evident that the life cycle of the infrastructure andfixtures significantly outpaced the initial three-year term considered in the CARB Grant andRFQ. According to the operator and validated internally, the agreed upon life cycle for theinvestment was 10 years. In order to spread out the risk of this investment the team negotiatedthe following terms:• Initial five-year term with three two-year options.
• At the end of the 10-year life cycle, ownership of all infrastructure and fixtures shalltransfer to the city.
• In the scenario where either the city or the contractor terminates before the end of the
10-year life cycle, the city would have the option to purchase the fixtures based on
the amortization schedule.
• In the scenario where the city terminates before the end of the 10-year life cycle, thecity would reimburse the contractor for costs associated with infrastructure, minus any
LADWP rebates.
• In the scenario where the contractor terminates before the end of the 10-year life		
cycle, the city would have the option to reimburse the contractor for costs associatedwith infrastructure, minus any LADWP rebates.

13

Table 1: Summary Comparison of Commitments and Funds

Revenue Model and Pricing
One-hundred percent of the revenue from the carshare program is retained by BlueLA. However,there is no expectation for the program to become profitable for at least another 10 years or more,
making the project a long-term investment, with a strong desire on BlueLA’s part to scale up quickly.
One of the revenue constraints is the requirement that all CARB grant funds be spent on equipment
or services in CalEnviroScreen DACs only. This requirement limits uptake among higher-income
members who may use the services more regularly and who would pay for them at the standard
membership rate, while possibly limiting demand among lower-income residents who wish to end
their reservations at destinations outside of the DAC area.
BlueLA has plans to open EVSE to private vehicle owners to generate additional revenue after
reviewing the usage and demand of carshare vehicles first to ensure enough EVSE/parking spots
would be available to the priority carshare service. BlueLA is also evaluating the possibility of sellingthe stored electricity from vehicle batteries back into the grid.

6 http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2015/15-1227_rpt_DOT_11-23-2016.pdf

14

BlueLA set pricing for use of the service with approval from the city, Steering Committee, and otherproject partners, creating a three-tiered system for standard, community and trial members (Fig. 4).
The pricing is intended to encourage access for low-income residents, while providing price signalsthat help to manage supply and demand and ensure that vehicles are available for all residents. An
additional discount was made available to community members, waiving fees for the second andthird hour of the reservation; this deal has recently been opened to all members for a limited time.
The pricing structure has been very popular among community members and they see it as a major
incentive to join the program and use the vehicles.
Figure 4: Blue LA Pricing Options

Lessons Learned
Public-private partnerships offer a range of benefits. The public-private partnership approachallowed for greater flexibility, speed, and resources, in addition to rebates, fee waivers, and in-kindservices from the city and significant investment in infrastructure and vehicles from BlueLA.
Consider scale for profitability and sustainability. In order for Blue LA to be a low-cost service for
DACs, it will have to look for sponsorship beyond the CARB grant. One way to do this is by expanding
service to include non-disadvantaged areas.
Balanced pricing is key. Pricing levels seem to have struck the right balance between affordability
for low-income users and adequate signaling to manage demand and vehicle availability.

7

Source: www.bluela.com

15

Planning, Permitting,and Construction
The BlueLA program is a partnership-based business model in which the city andoperator share in the costs, risks, and rewards of the project. The unique natureof the partnership provides an opportunity for the BlueLA pilot to include more
vehicles and charging units as a result of combined efforts and funding, while also
being a factor in some of the contract negotiation and permitting delays.

16

Figure 5: BlueLA Stations Map – February 2019

Service Area and Station Site Selection
The BlueLA model of electric carsharing in disadvantaged communities is more likely to be
successful in a service area with certain spatial and demographic characteristics. Within that service
area, the model relies on dedicated sites for parking equipped with EVSE. This section describes theprocess used to determine the service area and station sites.
A first step was to identify a service area—the zone in which all stations would be located. To
support this decision, SUMC performed an opportunity analysis, refining its national sharedmobility opportunity mapping tool with granular local data and SUMC’s proprietary Carshare
Expansion Index.

8

Source: www.bluela.com/stations-map

17

The analysis identified attractive carsharing zones, scored on the Carshare Expansion Index, basedon such factors as:• Transit availability and utilization• Population and employment density• Vehicle ownership• Block size and intersection density (as a proxy for walkability)• Longitudinal employer-household dynamics data
Figure 6: Result of Carshare Expansion Index
Results of SUMC Expansion
Index as mapped in thecustomized online tool.
Almost all of the Phase One
areas of the project as wellas much of Boyle Heights,
South LA near USC, andthe East Hollywood / Thai
Town areas are well suitedfor expansion in the near
future.

Carshare Expansion Index
Best
BetterGood

With the service area defined, the partners then identified specific locations for EV stations. (BlueLA
developed a prototype early in the project.) Stations would consist of five parking spaces, five EVSE
and a reservation kiosk, along with an average of two to three vehicles at each station. Ideallystations would be placed in the public right-of-way, occupying on-street parking that would make thevehicles more visible to the community.

18

Station sites were identified through a collaborative and iterative approach involving BlueLA,
city departments, SUMC, and community residents. BlueLA developed the following criteria for
selecting sites:
•
•
•
•
•

At least one-half mile from other stations
Population density above 15,000/sq. mi. within a half mile
Employment density above 10,000/sq. mi within a half mile
Three or more POI (Points of Interest) within walking distance
Allows for comfortable vehicle and charger access (ample street lighting, in or near trafficked
area, ample space to enter and exit the vehicle and utilize the chargers comfortably,		
traffic speeds below 35 mph, etc.)• Visible from a major street• Walk and transit score both above 60 (www.walkscore.com)• Points of power and telecom feed are within +/-80 feet of the proposed station location
The partners engaged council district offices, local businesses, and community residents for input
on station sites. In addition to holding several community forums, LADOT adapted the public
input mapping tool that was previously used for bikeshare station siting in Venice for the project.
Individuals were able to make (and explain) site suggestions and comment on others’ suggestions
through the BlueLA website prior to the launch of the project (Fig. 7).
Figure 7: BlueLA Website (www.bluela.com)

Building on its earlier opportunity analysis, SUMC developed an expanded site suitability map.
The map combined information from BlueLA and LADOT site assessment as well as data received
from community forum workshop participants on their origins and preferred destinations to help
inform site selection for future EV sites. The city and BlueLA reviewed this information and began
surveying potential sites to generate a list of addresses. With station sites identified, the project
moved into the permitting phase; eventually site selection would be affected by permitting anddesign requirements as well.
19

Lessons Learned
Early collaboration on site selection can yield more streamlined results. Early interaction between
city departments and council districts on project goals and input on suggested site locations canoffset some delays in permitting and site selection.

Community Engagement
Community participation in decision-making is a crucial component of social equity and wasprioritized in designing the project. As a first step, a Steering Committee was formed consistingof community-based organizations (CBOs) in the project area. The Steering Committee and SUMC
developed a community outreach plan outlining eight goals for outreach efforts.
1. Achieve a membership target for lower-income communities.
2. Educate the target community on the benefits of the program and reduce concerns through 		an aggressive outreach campaign.
3. Support co-learning between the community and the program to make and implement 			recommendations.
4. Ensure that stations act as commons that serve the community.
5. Ensure that marketing is appropriate for and reaches the target community.
6. Support the creation of jobs that reflect the community through program hires.
7. Build a model for future low-income electric programs.
8. Build on neighborhood capacity by engaging local champions and key community influencers.
The plan identified a series of Steering Committee-led functions including events, surveys, tabling,
and one-on-one outreach using part-time Street Ambassadors.
Between January 2018 and January 2019, all project partners have engaged the community through
136 events where the project has been either promoted or featured, including BlueLA community
forums, street surveys and community events. Community forums were held near BlueLA stations
throughout central Los Angeles starting in March 2017. The events were conducted in both
English and Spanish with translation equipment provided, and bilingual FAQ sheets were provided.
Childcare, snacks and drinks were also made available for attendees at each event to ensure
convenient and comfortable participation for household caregivers.
The events enabled local residents to provide input on program design through small group
discussions and mapping exercises. Residents were able to interact with the BlueLA vehicles, andBlueLA also promoted the street ambassador job opportunity to residents. The Street Ambassadors
are hired through BlueLA to assist with outreach, education, and operations tasks such asrebalancing vehicles.
20

As part of the site selection and permitting process, outreach was conducted to businesses in close
proximity to potential sites. In September 2017, it was noted that business outreach was being
neglected while many other aspects of the project consumed a lot of attention. SUMC developed amemo identifying risks associated with business opposition with examples from other pilot projects
that led to major site delays. The business outreach approach was adjusted to ensure that businessowners were notified of the project and potential construction through early, direct contact with
BlueLA, often with guidance from local council districts. The goal of business outreach was toobtain local business owner support for the station and program, and minimize opposition that
could impede the installation of equipment and launch of the program.
The Steering Committee played a pivotal role throughout the project by engaging the community tohelp shape the program and ensure it was a service that community members would want to use.

Lessons Learned
Set aside ample budget for outreach. There was an initial lack of capacity for doing outreachbecause too little of the grant funding was earmarked to supplement public dollars for an outreachprocess. CARB has since recognized the gap and is allowing more funding for outreach activities for
future programs.
Hold community forums. Several partners noted that community forums were the best way toreceive feedback from community through small group discussions and mapping exercises.
Develop a business outreach plan. Implementing this plan early is key to generating goodwill andsupport within the project community. Business outreach was successful when soliciting support
from council districts as well.
Communicate regularly with the Steering Committee. In general, Steering Committee members
felt like there could have been better communication between the committee and BlueLA,particularly in regards to outreach. The Steering Committee felt that there should have been more
opportunities to meet with Street Ambassadors so they could understand the value of CBOs
in terms of how to engage local communities. There are basic differences in how a community
organization and a large company operate and sometimes those differences made communication
challenging. Creating a variety of opportunities for everyone to get to know each other, understandmore about their needs and interests and creating a structure for formal communication can help
breakdown those barriers and improve communication necessary for a successful project. With theinsights from Phase One of the project, there is a renewed sense of how to recalibrate outreach toensure productive communication between all project partners.

21

Station Design, Permitting, and Construction
Each project site or station consists of five parking spaces, five EVSE and a reservation kiosk, alongwith an average of two to three vehicles at each station. The majority of the sites or stations are in
the public right-of way curbside, while there is currently one station planned in a LADOT-owned
parking area. Each site is tied into existing telecommunications and electrical service, meeting thefollowing requirements:• Electric service: Provided by LADWP. 100A, 120/240V, 1PH, 3W Service• Telecom service: Provided by Spectrum Business / Charter Communications• Points of feed are within +/-80 feet of the proposed station location
Three engineering teams worked in parallel to design parts of the stations: LADWP, BlueLA’s
contractor CES, and Charter’s contractor IES. LADWP does not share data with the public citing
security concerns and must provide in-house design on all electrical connections. Engineering
documents were developed to support permit applications. City “U Permits” were required for
excavating and bringing utilities to each station. “A Permits” were required for installing BlueLA
equipment in the public right-of-way. Each permit required submittal of multiple plans for approval
by multiple city agencies and departments. Early in the project, the permitting process presented aroadblock to getting stations built.

Creating a variety of opportunities for everyone to get to know eachother, understand more about their needs and interests, and creating a
structure for formal communication can help breakdown those barriers
and improve communication necessary for a successful project.

Even though the workflow and permitting process has been streamlined throughout the project,
BlueLA feels that too many agencies and separate approvals are involved and would like toencourage the city to consider a “one-stop shop” or permit counter for EVSE that would consolidate
the process. Such a system could also support the city’s plans for increasing the amount of EVSE
throughout the city through DWP programs and LADOT mobility hub investments.

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Figure 8: Permitting and Construction Workflow

When permits were secured, BlueLA worked with contractors to install the stations. BlueLA and
LADOT put together an EV carsharing station information packet which outlines the nature ofstation construction:• Construction duration is a minimum of 11 business days, an average of 18 business days,
and a maximum of 40 business days (depending on underground utilities, weather, etc.)• Work classified as minor construction involves sidewalk demolition as required, 			
trenching and excavation, installation of underground conduits, concrete pads, and charging
equipment, and restoration of walkways and streets as required.
• Jobsites typically occupy an approximate 100’ by 15’ section of curb area. Some jobsites may
involve street crossing excavation and may require occupation of additional street sections.
• Contractor ensures safe and efficient movement of road users in construction zones in 		
accordance with the California Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

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Construction of BlueLA stations was started in 2017 and a demonstration site was completed inJune 2017. The service launched in April 2018 with seven sites. The 10-month period between
the demonstration site ribbon-cutting and commercial launch saw some delays and in an effort
to further expedite the construction process, BlueLA hired a second construction firm—Motive
Energy—towards the end of 2018 to work in tandem with Vantage Company.

Lessons Learned
Focus on efficient permitting policy and process. The permitting process around fixed-space
EV carsharing evolved over time, and all parties feel it can be improved for the rest of Phase One
and beyond. There are policy changes needed to make the process smoother including making
amendments to building code, simplifying the process of filing for an exemption, and implementing a
consolidated permit counter for EVSE.
Gain central coordination on the city side. The city’s BlueLA project manager is responsible fora variety of tasks, of which infrastructure permitting and construction is only one. As a result,
LADOT will be hiring a dedicated senior-level infrastructure manager with planning and engineeringexpertise to move the process forward throughout city departments.
Streamline electrical design. BlueLA has stated that other cities they’ve worked in (Singapore,
London, Paris) have more grid data publically available, allowing for design to be performed by asingle engineering team, an approach that helps to expedite the design process.
24Marketing & Operations

MarketingMarketing for BlueLA was outlined in an advertising plan that sets aside $100,000 from the CARB
grant to promote the BlueLA program. The Steering Committee-led community outreach planalso incorporated some marketing elements for BlueLA to consider when executing a marketing
campaign. Marketing tactics have included field outreach and canvassing, tabling at community
gatherings, advertising, and social media engagement. Marketing has been led by BlueLA in
partnership with the outreach manager housed at SALEF. BlueLA also employed a bevy of parttime Street Ambassadors, most of whom reside in the project area, and identified partnerships,
sponsorships, and cross-promotional opportunities with local community organizations, schools
and private businesses.
To manage prospects and members, BlueLA developed a CRM system which continues to be utilized.
BlueLA also performed the main intake survey soon after the program launch.
Marketing highlights of the BlueLA program included a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 9, 2017.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, California State Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, CA
State Assembly Member Miguel Santiago, LADOT, General Manager Seleta Reynolds, and CARB
Member Hector De La Torre spoke at the event.

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The ribbon cutting generated impressive media coverage, ranging from widely distributed
newspapers to environmental and mobility special-interest blogs. However subsequent stations
weren’t launched until 10 months later when the commercial launch of the EV Carshare program
took place on April 20th, 2018 at Los Angeles City College during Earth Week with 7 stations
and 25 vehicles in operation. There were approximately 300 people in attendance at the event,including speakers who shared their support: Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, CARB Vice-Chair
Sandra Berg, US Representative Jimmy Gomez, Deputy Mayor Barbara Romeo and LADOT General
Manager Seleta Reynolds.

Lessons Learned
Delay between the soft launch of the demonstration site and the launch of the commercial site
10 months later generated a loss of momentum for partners, prospective members and the project
as whole. BlueLA also had some delays hiring a marketing manager, which left a lot of the initial
marketing development to the Steering Committee and other partners. It may have been useful tothink through the strategy and have various milestones to celebrate between the two launches inorder to keep the public excitement going throughout the project.
Input from CBO’s on marketing helped to reach target audience. The Steering Committee CBO’s
provided their insights on the best strategies to engage DAC’s by suggesting multiple outlets
and events, community partners, and information they felt would resonate with their community
members.

Operations
EV Charging and Rebalancing
The technology around EVSE and Blue Vehicles was developed by IER, a Bolloré subsidiary. Vehicles
run on a solid-state battery with an average range of 90-100 miles to the charge, depending on
driving behavior and battery demand. EV charging equipment is “Level 2” EVSE with 3.3 kW
capacity. The vehicles are unable to charge at DC fast charge stations due to the nature of theirsolid state batteries. They are typically charged overnight and have sufficient charge to operate
throughout the next day, with supplemental charging occurring between reservations. BlueLAvehicles have a battery charge display on the dashboard; the vehicles can be rented if they arecharged to at least 40%, and any vehicle below that threshold is taken offline until a suitable charge
is reached. If a user reaches 30% charge or below during their reservation, they are notified and will
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and will be requested to return the vehicle to a station when the battery charge is at 15%.
BlueLA materials and Street Ambassadors seek to educate members proactively about EVs andcharging to avoid problems. During the pilot there were a small handful of cases where vehicle
batteries were depleted during a reservation, and for the most part preventative measures havemitigated this risk.
The vehicles are rebalanced manually by BlueLA Street Ambassadors. The BlueLA dispatch officereviews a map to see where cars are and will receive alerts when too many, or not enough, cars
are at a station; dispatch will then assign a rebalancing request to an available Street mbassador.
Ambassadors also service issues where vehicles are not plugged in at the end of a reservation.
As of December 2018, there are eight Street Ambassadors and three people on the tech team totroubleshoot any issues with the vehicles or charging stations.

Member Enrollment and User Experience
Residents are able to enroll as members online at www.bluela.com, on their phone via the BlueLAApp for iPhone or Android, or over the phone via the BlueLA Customer Service Center which
operates 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. Street Ambassadors assist residents in registering andusing the vehicles in the field. Once a member has registered, they receive a BlueLA card which
they can then swipe at a station kiosk to start and end their reservation. BlueLA had been pursuing
payment integration with the LA region's Metro TAP Card, but the process was put on hold due todelays with backend integration.
One of the most problematic usage issues is long rentals, which are considered to be four hours or
more, with those over six hours being the most difficult. The issue with longer rentals is the concern
over batteries losing charge and therefore creating issues with vehicles having enough power to getback to the station. BlueLA has been adapting their system to customer use and have had successworking with customers using a subscription plan for longer rental times.
Another issue has been the cleanliness of the vehicles. In BlueLA’s user guide the terms andconditions section has a $50 cleaning fee listed for members that violate the terms. To address thisissue, BlueLA has implemented a “Tidy Car Program” since January 1, 2019 to enable members
to rate the cleanliness of their vehicle and to incentivize members to perform minor trash pick-up
inside the vehicles in return for free drive time.
Personal outreach by the BlueLA customer service department and Street Ambassadors, BlueLA
states, has prevented many negative experiences with the service and has engendered goodwill
among BlueLA members to care for the vehicles.

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Lessons Learned
Limited issues with EV range and charging. While observers of new EV shared mobility services
often identify potential problems related to driver “range anxiety,” inability to keep charged
vehicles available, misuse of charging equipment, or stranded vehicles, these issues have notbeen significant in BlueLA operations to date.
Ensure member education. Immediate and regular interaction with members helps to enhance
education around user behavior.
Test with project partners. It has been helpful to have project partners interact with thesystem to troubleshoot any potential problems. A Steering Committee member who tested thesystem noticed that the Spanish language option was based on a dialect in Spain rather thandialects more common in Los Angeles. They also received feedback from a community member
about needing time and better understanding on how to use the vehicle. Receiving this type of
feedback early helps to ensure new users have a positive first experience in order for them tocontinue using the service.

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Evaluating & Reporting

BlueLA has provided monthly reports to the City since the month following the commercial launch in
April 2018. The monthly reports include membership totals, trip data, milestones, top routes and thespenddown of CARB funds. The city, with assistance from SUMC, has compiled the data quarterly
for reporting to CARB for review. SUMC has also developed GHG emissions reduction estimates
periodically.
Data points collected in reports include membership figures by membership type, travel demand(trips and VMTs) by membership type, and popular origin-destination pairs. To date, less reportinghas been done on operational issues or marketing activities, which are also more likely to beaddressed in regular member surveys. Members complete a survey during initial onboarding,but have not been re-surveyed on a regular basis to identify changing behaviors, preferences, or
feedback.
While member surveys have not been conducted on a regular basis, BlueLA customer service has
tracked feedback from members. Since the commercial launch of the project in April 2018, members
have provided generally positive feedback about the service.
Common sentiments include:• Appreciation for the pricing option of $9 for up to three hours of service under the 			community membership.
• Grocery shopping is a big draw for using the service, along with carpooling, recreation, anddropping kids off at school.
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• BlueLA has provided more flexibility than typical public transport and the ability to have 		a one-car household. Members have also acknowledged the eco-friendly element of an EV 		as an added bonus.
• The biggest demand among members is for project expansion.
• In terms of finding out about BlueLA, members have stated having a station in theirneighborhood generally alerted them to the service, along with BlueLA’s presence atmarketing events and partnerships with some universities and apartment complexes.

Lessons Learned
Need frequent reporting on origins and destinations. The city is interested in receiving dataon all of the stations more regularly, beyond just the most popular routes, as they feel that thisinformation can help bolster council district engagement and future site selection. Currently,
comprehensive data for all of the stations has only been supplied quarterly or on an ad-hoc basis.
More reporting on operations and marketing. Much the reporting from operator to city has been
focused on construction, membership, and utilization. The city would like to see more informationfrom BlueLA on operational issues and marketing efforts. The city learned about operational
concerns by word-of-mouth, which were only confirmed by BlueLA retrospectively. A moreproactive approach in regular reporting would allow all partners to weigh in with solutions.

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Next Steps

The popularity of the BlueLA system among community members has renewed motivation among
project partners and laid the groundwork for acting on the community’s requests for expansion.
Preparation for Phase Two is currently underway. LADOT received an award letter for $3
million from CARB in January 2019 to support Phase Two activities in partnership with Mobility
Development Partners. The majority of the grant funds will be utilized for carshare operator startup assistance ($900,000), contractual services, parking subsidies, mobility hubs programming, and
CBO Steering Committee compensation. The expansion will allow the service to move further
into South LA, East Los Angeles and East Hollywood. The city will renegotiate its partnership with
BlueLA for Phase Two, with initial plans to deploy 200 additional EVs to the existing carshare
fleet and 300 additional charge points in disadvantaged communities. BlueLA will also revisit
possibilities around TAP card payment integration and new service models, including opening EVSE
to private vehicle owners and allowing BlueLA vehicles to be parked outside stations at the end ofreservations.
The BlueLA expansion fits well within the city’s broader initiatives in the new mobility andtransportation technology space. Under a new agreement with SUMC, the partners will renew
outreach efforts around new mobility services, including stakeholder engagement in support of a
new mobility community needs assessment to inform future investments.

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LADOT is also pursuing an ambitious strategy to manage new mobility services in real-time bybuilding technology platforms for generating, standardizing and exchanging data between city
agencies and mobility providers. LADOT has developed a mobility data specification to standardize
data definitions and formats, and developed a “Provider API” to allow LADOT to pull data frommobility providers on such metrics as fleet size and trip characteristics. The partners will work with
BlueLA and other operators to apply the Mobility Data Specification to carsharing services in thecity.
LADOT’s goal is to make diverse transportation options accessible to all segments of the
population. BlueLA will be connected with other modes and services at a series of integrated
mobility hubs. An initial set of 10-12 core hubs will be developed at key LA Metro rail and bus
facilities through an $8.35 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Jobs Accessand Reverse Commute program, with dozens of satellite hubs to follow. Funding in the BlueLA
Phase Two grant has been earmarked to ensure that at least 20 BlueLA stations will be developed
within mobility hubs and to launch an equity-focused scooter-/bike-share pilot based at the hubs
alongside BlueLA vehicles. These services will enhance the accessibility of employment centers,
job training sites, community colleges, and other critical destinations for low-income communities
and communities of color.
The first-of-its-kind BlueLA EV Carsharing pilot project is already bearing fruit for the residents ofcentral Los Angeles. Lessons learned in the first phase of the project will inform BlueLA expansion
as well as similar efforts around the state and nation. As CARB moves to invest $32 million indisadvantaged communities statewide for EV shared mobility pilots through its growing Clean
Mobility Options program, BlueLA stands as a model of what can be achieved through meaningful
partnerships between public agencies, mobility businesses, and community organizations.

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Case Study

312.448.8083
www.sharedusemobilitycenter.org