Motion introduced to expand LA’s electric vehicle infrastructure

Following President Joe Biden’s executive order to set the U.S. on a path to have half of all new vehicles purchased by 2030 be electric, a motion was introduced in the Los Angeles City Council Friday to create a master plan for electric vehicle infrastructure citywide.

“Meeting our climate goals in less than 14 years requires urgent action and a broad-based approach,” said Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, who co- introduced the motion and serves as chair of the Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and River Committee.

“We have a golden opportunity to work with the Biden administration on our shared objectives for a sustainable and clean energy future. The sooner we transition to all-electric vehicles, the sooner we clean the air in Los Angeles, mindful that this region still has the nation’s worst air quality. For that reason, incentivizing electric vehicle use in Los Angeles is arguably our top environmental priority.”

The motion, if passed by the City Council, would instruct the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to lead in the creation of a citywide Electric Vehicle Master Plan, which would include provisions to maximize federal and state funding to ensure that electric vehicle infrastructure is equitably placed across Los Angeles.

“The city’s Green New Deal has already established ambitious targets for carbon neutrality, including converting all city fleet vehicles to zero emissions by 2028 and installing 28,000 publicly available EV chargers by the end of this decade,” said Councilman Paul Krekorian, who co-introduced the motion. “The development of a bold plan to increase electric vehicle use across the city is another essential component of the battle against climate change. I look forward to working with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power — our partners in LA100 — and city agencies in this effort.”

The LADWP‘s mater plan would also include incentives for residential, commercial and industrial customers to add electric vehicle chargers.

The department welcomed the motion, and noted progress already being made to enhance electric vehicle infrastructure and increase access in disadvantaged communities through the Charge Up L.A. EV rebate program.

“The Department of Water and Power looks forward to being a full partner in the effort to create an electric vehicle master plan to build an even more sustainable city,” said LADWP General Manager and Chief Engineer Martin L. Adams.

Los Angeles passed its own Green New Deal in 2019, and by 2020, surpassed its goal of installing 10,000 commercial electric vehicle chargers throughout the city, two years earlier than the timeline in the Green New Deal.

In 2021, the city has about 11,045 commercial charging stations and is on track to reach 25,000 by 2025 and 28,000 by 2028.

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