Council Approves Overnight Electric Vehicle Charging In Parks

SANTA MONICA, CA – The Santa Monica City Council approved an ordinance modification at a Tuesday night meeting allowing overnight Electric Vehicle (EV) charging in City of Santa Monica parks. This supports the City’s EV Action Plan and expands access to public chargers in areas of Santa Monica where public charging is limited, especially overnight, the City of Santa Monica press release said.

Virginia Avenue Park is the first to offer overnight access through its four charging ports, although themajority of public charging stations are located in the Downtown area. Through the EV Action Plan, public charging options are expanding throughout the City, including additional park chargers slated for Clover, Marine and Gandara Parks, the press release said.

“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.”

EV's are becoming more popular statewide and in the city itself. EV registrations in Santa Monica has more than doubled – there were 1,003 in 2015 and now there are 2,494 in 2018, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

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

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