Los Alamos Environmental Sustainability Board members heard a presentation Oct. 16 from Stantec consultants on a two-part project to convert the county vehicle fleet to zero-emission vehicles and to site public EV charging across the county.

The project team — Josh Schacht (transit and zero-emissions advisory consultant, Stantec), Annalie Castillo (senior technical lead, Stantec), and Greg Wallingford (management consulting, Stantec) — told the board the work aims to close the gap between current fleet operations and requirements under the New Mexico clean car rule, which phases in increasing zero-emission vehicle standards for light-duty vehicles and trucks.

Stantec described the effort as two linked analyses: a fleet-conversion plan that maps current vehicle use, replacement timing and facility electrical needs; and a public-charging suitability study that combines demand, land-use suitability and equity considerations to recommend specific charger locations and types.

Why it matters: the New Mexico clean car rule requires a rising share of zero-emission vehicles in the state fleet and in registrations; local governments must plan for vehicle replacements and the electrical infrastructure they will require. The Stantec team said the county’s plan will estimate greenhouse-gas reductions, capital and operating costs, and a phased schedule tied to vehicle replacement cycles.

Key findings and methods
- Fleet conversion: Stantec said it built an “existing conditions” inventory using departmental engagement and on-site facility assessments to understand vehicle utilization, mileage profiles and charging needs. The team has produced a dynamic dashboard the county can use to track vehicle-by-vehicle replacement scenarios, forecast capital and operational costs, and estimate GHG reductions.
- Charging suitability and site selection: the consultants described a multi-layer modeling approach that merges three families of inputs — demand (population density, commutes, travel patterns), suitability (zoning, utility feeder capacity, flood and federal-exempt lands) and equity (input from public workshops and a survey). Data sources noted in the presentation included vehicle-registration snapshots, a travel dataset called Replica, and standard technical guidance for charger sizing.
- Scenarios and quantities: Stantec modeled four use scenarios — home charging, county-owned public charging, shared Level 2 charging (private/multifamily), and DC fast charging. The maps shown to the board display suitability gradients; the consultants said quantities at each proposed site are planned to range roughly from 2 to 8 chargers per location, with final counts and the full phasing schedule provided in the draft report.

Public input and priorities
The team said it ran a May visioning session and a follow-up virtual survey that produced more than 500 responses. Common themes: residents stressed charger reliability and network coverage, and community comment emphasized equity for residents who cannot charge at home (for example, people without garages or off-street parking). Stantec said public feedback influenced the location priorities shown on the suitability maps.

Procurement and supply-chain constraints
Consultants told the board that equipment lead times remain a planning constraint. Annalie Castillo said bulk procurement lead times for chargers have shortened from the worst of the pandemic-era backlogs but still can be in the order of roughly 12 months for some hardware; Greg Wallingford added that larger electrical distribution equipment can have lead times of three years or more. The team said it will factor procurement lead times into vehicle-replacement and infrastructure-phasing schedules.

Costs and formulae
Stantec said the charger-quantity estimates are driven by adoption scenarios (low/medium/high) and a standard formula from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that ties the number of vehicles to the estimated required number of public chargers. The consultants also said they will include a financial model for the county fleet (capital and operations) and a financial model for public-charging operations in the draft plan so the county can evaluate ownership and operating options.

Next steps and schedule
The consultants said a draft plan will be released for public review; the team plans additional public presentations and expects to present to county council and the Board of Public Utilities in the coming week. The draft will include specific site locations, charger counts by site, an electrical-capacity analysis over a multi-decade horizon, cost estimates and an implementation timeline. The consultants asked the board for feedback that will inform the draft-to-final revision.

"This project is about closing the gap between where the county is now and where it needs to be," Josh Schacht said during the presentation. "The analysis and the public feedback combine to tell us where chargers should go and what the charging network needs to look like over time."

Board members asked about pricing, quantities shown on the maps, data vintage for vehicle registrations, and the treatment of procurement lead times; consultants answered that detailed quantities, costs and schedules will appear in the draft report and that adoption scenarios are calibrated to state requirements and to NREL guidance. Stantec also confirmed upcoming public presentations, and that the county will collect formal feedback on the draft plan before finalization.

Ending
Stantec told the board it will publish a draft plan for review and return with a final plan after incorporating public and stakeholder feedback. The county staff and consultants said they would also present the draft to council and the Board of Public Utilities and will notify the board of rescheduled community engagement events.