Before you buy that Tesla, there are some things you should know about driving and owning an electric vehicle in West Hollywood. For starters, there are currently only 52 public charging stations in the city, according to map site plugshare.com.
Since 2018, new buildings have been required to have in place an infrastructure plan that will allow installation of electric charging stations.
New residential buildings have to provide a minimum of one electric vehicle “ready” station, with that increasing to two stations for buildings with two to 20 units. Buildings with 20 or more units have to provide stations equal to 10% of the total parking spaces. Residential buildings with 11 to 15 units have to provide at least one electric vehicle “capable” space. Those with 16 to 20 units have to provide two spaces, and those with 20 or more units have to make 90% of parking spaces electric vehicle capable.
Current Trends in Electric Vehicles
California has made electric vehicle (EV) adoption a central piece to meeting the climate goals. The State’s 2016 Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Plan calls for 1.5 million ZEVs on the road by 2025.
California has the most registered EVs in the nation and the Los Angeles region has the most EVs in the State. As of September 2016, there were over 500 EVs registered in West Hollywood alone. In order to encourage EV adoption and overcome potential buyers’ “range anxiety”, the West Hollywood City Council issued a directive in May 2016 to make the city EV Ready. An update on the City’s progress on EV initiatives as of July 2020 can be found HERE.
The City of West Hollywood offers free 2 hr. parking for EVs charging in municipal garages, and ensuring that tenants have the right to install charging stations in rent-stabilized buildings.
EV Charging Readiness Requirements for New Construction
In 2018, West Hollywood adopted local amendments to 2016 CALGreen, requiring a minimum percentage of parking spaces in certain new residential and nonresidential projects to be “EV Ready”.
- EV Readiness Requirements for New Construction Guide_v1 (Effective thru December 31, 2019)
- EV Readiness Requirements for New Construction Guide_v2 (Effective beginning January 1, 2020)
- Requirements for Existing Buildings (AB 1236)
To bring the City into substantial conformance with the State requirements AB 1236 (2015), West Hollywood adopted Ordinance No. 18-1028 that further streamlines its approval process for qualifying EVCS. Applicants voluntarily planning to install a charging station at an existing building must accurately complete the application checklist and zone clearance application in order to be issued all necessary permits. Applications can be submitted online or at the Planning Counter.
Building and electrical plan check fees and associated permit fees for qualifying EVCS have been waived by the City of West Hollywood. A zone clearance fee from the Planning Division as well as any State or outside agency fees will apply. Permit fees for any required structural upgrades to existing buildings as part of the system installation are not waived.
Top 5 Best Selling EVs in 2021
- Tesla Model Y
- Tesla Model 3
- Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV
- Ford Mustang Mach-E
- Nissan Leaf
SOURCE: Car & Driver
Free Technical Assistance for EV Charging Retrofits
The City of West Hollywood is offers FREE technical assistance for existing multifamily buildings interested in converting parking spaces to EV charging spaces. This includes owners of existing apartment buildings, condominium owners, and tenants interested in working with landlords to explore available options in their buildings. See the following guides for helpful tips on what to consider when converting parking spaces to EV charging spaces:
- EV Charging Tips for Apartment Building Owners
- EV Charging Tips for Condominiums
- EV Charging Tips for Tenants
For the latest information on California “Right to Charge” Laws, please click HERE. If you are interested in receiving technical assistance, please contact Robyn Eason, Long Range Planning & Sustainability Manager, at reason@weho.org.
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Additional Resources
- Municipal EV Charging Locations
- EV Charging in Rent Stabilized Buildings – Staff Report and Ordinance No. 17-1017
- EV Charging Readiness Update (July 2020) – Staff Report
- SCE Charge Ready Program for EV Charging Installations – New round of funding likely available in 2021. Sign up to stay informed here.
- EV Models Currently Available in the US
- SCE Rebates for EV Purchases
- California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (State & Federal Incentives)
- Federal Tax Credits for New All-Electric & Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles
- West Hollywood Go Green EV Charging Resources
- Zero Emission Vehicles in California Community Readiness Guidebook
How is City Hall enforcing these goals?