SANTA MONICA—On Monday, October 23, the Santa Monica City Council approved an ordinance modification allowing overnight Electric Vehicle (EV) charging at Santa Monica parks. According to a press release from the city of Santa Monica, the ordinance supports the city’s EV Action Plan and expands access to public chargers in areas of Santa Monica where public charging is limited overnight.

Virginia Avenue Park will be the first to offer overnight access through its four charging ports. The majority of public charging stations are located in the downtown region. Through the EV Action Plan, public charging options are broadening throughout the city, including additional park chargers slated for Clover, Marine and Gandara Parks.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, EV registrations in Santa Monica were at 1,003 in 2015 and rose to 2,494 in 2018.

“We hope public access to charging stations helps make the switch to electric vehicles logistically possible for the majority of Santa Monica residents who rent and live outside the Downtown area,” said Dean Kubani, Chief Sustainability Officer and Assistant Director of Public Works. “We are one step closer to achieving the goals of Santa Monica’s EV Action Plan.”

For information about overnight EV charging, contact Sustainability Analyst Ariana Vito at Ariana.Vito@smgov.net.