On September 24, 2013, the Palo Alto City Council voted on a proposed ordinance which would require all new homes built in the City to be pre-wired for electric vehicle (EV) chargers. [1] The ordinance, which was approved unanimously by the City Council, calls for all new homes to be built with wiring for “level two” EV chargers. [2] Although the ordinance has not been finalized at this point, it is expected to pass in final form within 90 days. [3] Palo Alto Mayor Gregory Scharff claims that the ordinance will ultimately lower the costs associated with EV charger installation. [4] According to Scharff, retrofitting a home with wiring suitable for an EV charger costs anywhere between 500 and 1,000 dollars, while installation in a new home costs only 200 dollars. [5]
In spite of the alleged cost advantages, the proposed ordinance has sparked controversy. [6] Although Palo Alto has the most electric vehicles per capita of any American city [7], some in the City nonetheless find the ordinance to be overbearing and unwarranted. [8] Additionally, others have argued that the City would be better served by an ordinance promoting public transportation rather than personal automobile use. [9]
Palo Alto is the first U.S. city to impose such a requirement on residential structures, although Vancouver has had a similar requirement since last year. [10] The ordinance is not, however, without precedent in the States. Other California towns have imposed requirements mandating that new homes be built with solar panels on their roof. [11]
Ultimately, the value of this ordinance remains to be seen. Palo Alto is an exceptionally wealthy city and the median price for new homes is around 1.6 million dollars. [12] It seems highly unlikely that any electric car owner prepared to spend this much money on a home would balk at paying 1,000 dollars to retrofit the home with wiring compatible with an EV charger. The costs of wiring for electric vehicle chargers might thus be better borne by those who need them. Furthermore, most electric cars can be charged using standard electrical outlets. The benefit of the level two EV chargers is that they allow for vehicles to be charged substantially faster. [13] This seems to be a luxury, rather than a necessity for new homes.
It is worth noting that Palo Alto is home to car manufacturer Tesla, one of the key players in the electric vehicle space. In fact, Scharff himself drives a Tesla electric vehicle. [14]