New Palo Alto Homes to Get a Charge Under New Law

Palo Alto homeowners mulling a vehicle purchase will soon have one more reason to go electric: A charger that's already built into their home.  

That's what they'll get under a newly approved building code requiring new homes to install electric car chargers, the Palo Alto Daily News reports.

The nine-member Palo Alto City Council approved the measure unanimously last month, the report said.

The city that counts Tesla Motors among its forward-thinking businesses also approved related proposals streamlining the permit process for installing chargers, among other plans to incentivize electric vehicle usage, the report said.

Building chargers into new homes will often cost less than $200, about four times less than it would cost to install on into an existing property, Mayor Greg Sharff said, according to the report.

Sharff is quoted in the report saying before the vote "let's figure out as a council what we can do to remove the obstacles to owning electric vehicles in Palo Alto. I think what we really need to do is make it convenient, easy and economical."

Do you believe the newly-approved law requiring homes be pre-wired for car chargers will help the city achieve its state goal of encouraging electric vehicle usage? Share your thoughts in our comments section.