SANTA MONICA—On Wednesday, October 28, the city of Santa Monica announced they installed 24 new beachside EV charging ports on Beach Lot 5 South at 2701 Barnard Way near Ocean View Park. A user fee is set at $0.30 per kilowatt-hour.

Santa Monica currently has 150 city-owned Electric vehicle (EV) charge ports available for public use. The city has a long term goal to expand the public charging infrastructure to 1,000 chargers by 2025. By 2030, Santa Monica hopes to reduce emissions by 80 percent and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The city also aims to increase the number of electric vehicles on the road from 2 percent in 2017 to 15 percent by 2025.

Sustainability Analyst Ariana Vito reports “Electrifying transportation is a key component to achieving this target and is an especially green option in Santa Monica where nearly all municipal power is supplied by 100 percent renewable sources through the Clean Power Alliance.”

The installment of the charging ports comes just a month after California Governor Gavin Newson signed an executive order mandating all new sales of passenger vehicles to be emission-free by the year 2035.

A $1,000 rebate is available for residents through the Santa Monica’s EV Charger Rebate Program for multi-unit dwellings or buildings with three or more units to install EV charging equipment. Small businesses can also apply.