Santa Monica Installs 24 New Beachside Electric Vehicle Chargers

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica inched slightly closer to its goal of reducing emissions Wednesday as officials announced that 24 new electric vehicle charging ports had been installed within the city. Two utility boxes were also transformed into "cleantech" works of art.

The Level 2 (240-volt) ChargePoint chargers were installed by Southern California Edison's Charge Ready Program, which provides funding for electric vehicle adoption and charging ports.

Two utility boxes that were once "an eyesore" were transformed by artist RFX1. Designs were reviewed by residents from the Ocean Park Association and were meant to reflect sustainable and cleantech themes.

The charging stations will cost EV drivers $0.30 per kilowatt-hour to help offset operation costs.

Santa Monica officials hope to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050, or sooner. The city has a detailed plan of to become "climate resilient," in which it identified vehicle transportation as one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions.

In 2015, vehicle transportation contributed to 64 percent of the city's carbon emissions, according to a report within the action plan.

This plan is in alignment with Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order, issued last month, to require the sale of all new passenger vehicles to meet the zero-emissions standard by 2035. The order will prevent the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, so cities like Santa Monica are racing to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles.

READ MORE: California To Ban Sale Of New Gas-Powered Cars By 2035

As of January 2019, 4.3 percent of all registered vehicles in Santa Monica were plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles. In 2016, EVs made up just 1.8 percent of all cars in the city.

There are currently 150 city-owned public EV charging stations in the city and officials plan to install many more, according to Wednesday's statement.

The city also has an EV Charger Rebate Program, which offers rebates up to $1,000 to residents of multi-family buildings and for small businesses. And more funding was made available for low-income residents through the Air Quality Management Districts's Residential EV Charging Program.