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Cape Canaveral council asks staff to explore vendor‑operated EV charger leases after two years of net cost
Summary
Council asked staff to research leasing or vendor‑operated models for EV charging after staff reported the city’s Level‑2 stations generated $12,568 revenue but incurred $15,528 in costs since Dec. 2023; networking fees were the largest ongoing expense.
Council members on April 21 asked city staff to return with options for moving the city’s EV charging program from municipal ownership to vendor‑operated or lease models, citing rapidly evolving technology and recurring operating costs.
Mayor Pro Tim Jackson said municipalities often relinquish ownership of chargers to vendors that install and operate equipment under lease or revenue‑share arrangements. “It removes the fiscal responsibility for the ownership of EV charging stations,” he said, and can produce lease income for the city while vendors handle maintenance and software services.
Staff reported that since the December 2023 upgrade the city logged 3,387 charging sessions and collected $12,568 in gross station revenue while incurring about $15,528 in expenses. Breakdown presented by staff showed roughly $5,327 in electricity costs and about $10,200 paid in networking fees and service charges over the reporting period — the networking fees were the largest single recurring expense.
Council members discussed options including signing a lease with a national operator, locating fast‑charging hubs in commercial zones, testing dynamic pricing for special events (for example, rocket launches) and negotiating trade‑in credits for existing equipment. Staff said some vendors will remove or trade in older stations when installing new hardware.
Council gave unanimous consensus direction for staff to pursue vendor options, market pricing comparisons, and a plan to present alternatives at a future meeting. Staff also noted a near‑term action: a fee‑schedule review and a market comparison to ensure city rates remain competitive while staff prepares procurement options for vendor‑operated models.
Councilors stressed a desire to avoid ongoing subsidies for increasingly obsolete equipment and to preserve resident convenience through a balanced network of slow overnight chargers and faster public chargers where demand justifies it.
Outcome: staff will return with a vendor‑leasing analysis, potential revenue models (including lease payments and revenue shares), and options for replacing or trading existing Level‑2 equipment.
