LOS ANGELES – EVs are selling at such a rapid pace, the City is exploring exactly how city codes should cover the issue. Currently, the charging area is an undefined part of land use.
The Los Angeles City Council voted today to explore how it can work with the City’s zoning codes.
The council sought reports from the Department of City Planning on recommendations for an ordinance, along with best practices that would preserve planning and urban design. Last week, the council directed a draft ordinance on streamlining the permitting of EV charging infrastructure.
After cost of the vehicle, access to charging is the biggest barrier to EV adoption, according to a motion filed by Council President Paul Krekorian. The city’s EV master plan contains several incentives to owning an electric vehicle.
Krekorian’s motion states that the growing demand for charging requires sites to be primarily used for EV charging.
“Legacy infrastructure, utility business models and land use constraints” are all examples of 20th-century era paradigms that have restricted putting in place more charging stations, according to the motion.
One in five new vehicle purchases in California is an electric vehicle.
