Three members of the Palo Alto city council have reportedly proposed a change in the city’s building code that may require new houses to have electric vehicle chargers built-in. Palo Alto Online News reports that city Mayor Greg Scharff, Vice Mayor Nancy Shepherd and council member Gail Price have recommended these changes to be made so that Palo Alto’s reputation as a “national leader in green technology” is further bolstered.
When the proposed changes to the building code come in effect, they won’t apply to houses that have already been built. They’ll make it mandatory for new houses to be wired with the required infrastructure to support electric vehicle charging. The council was told that it would only cost $200 to make the house EV ready during construction, whereas it would cost between $1000 to $2000 to retrofit them after they’ve been built. The ordinances put forward for this purpose have already been unanimously accepted by the Palo Alto city council, but they’re yet to be fully drafted and will still need to be voted on before they’re officially made part of the building code. Palo Alto already has a robust electronic vehicle culture, it is also home to Tesla Motors, one of the biggest players in the electric car market.
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