SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica is asking residents to provide feedback on its newly proposed Electric Vehicle Action Plan.
The draft would increase the number of public charging facilities and offer incentives for the development of private charging stations over the next five years. The plan provides for roughly $2 million in infrastructure improvements, with the goal of implementing 300 new or upgraded chargers.
Increasing the prevalence of electric vehicles has been a topic of interest for the Santa Monica City Council. The city first installed electric vehicle charging stations in the 1990s. In 2016, the Santa Monica City Council committed to making the city carbon neutral by 2050 and has pushed for a general increase in the number of electric vehicles and charging stations throughout the community.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm around electric vehicles and we want to provide easy access to charging locations,” said Shannon Parry, Deputy Sustainability Officer for the City of Santa Monica. “This plan is meant to help people make the transition and have convenient access to charging so if they plan to purchase a vehicle, it can be electric. In a community where 70% of residents are renters, accessibility to charging is key.”
The city will accept public feedback through October 15. City officials will present the plan to the Task Force on the Environment and the Planning Commission. The plan will then go to the Santa Monica City Council on November 14.
The plan can be found at www.smgov.net/electricvehicles. Residents interested in providing feedback can visit: https://cityofsantamonica.wufoo.com/forms/z1r9gaj209rv0df/
