Palo Alto moves ahead with electric-vehicle policy
-Seeking to bolster the city's reputation as a clean-tech leader and prepare for a surge of electric vehicles on city streets, Palo Alto officials this week adopted a new policy to encourage installation of charging stations.
-The city recognizes EVs as an important part of the solution for reaching its greenhouse gas emission reduction goal, and so has an interest in encouraging the use of EVs throughout the community."
-The document proposed by staff includes seven policies, including encouraging partnerships between applicants and the city on creating charging stations, providing incentives for customers to charge their vehicles during off-peak hours and providing a "quick and efficient" permitting and inspection process.The council also decided Monday to add a new policy stressing highlighting the importance of aesthetics in new charging stations.
-The city hopes the new policy will further underscore the city's position at the forefront of the electric-vehicle trend. The California Energy Commission estimates that Palo Alto will have between 3,000 and 10,000 electric vehicles by 2020. Palo Alto has already installed five electric-charging stations at city garages.