Recently, the city council of Palo Alto, California adopted a proposal that Palo Alto’s building code be changed to require that new homes come prewired for the installation of 240 Volt Level 2 Charging Stations. Additionally the council also backed related proposals to streamline the permitting process for installing a charger in existing homes as well as further develop incentives and strategies for electric vehicle use in Palo Alto.

The cost for adding such wiring to a house being built is often under $200, which is about 4 times less then installing the wiring to an existing home. Clearly the advantage to prewire new homes is very evident.

Making homes plug-in ready will make it easier for consumers to charge their electric vehicles. During a recent show I attended in California many industry stakeholders commented that 90% of charging occurs at home. I probably charge my Prius Plug-In 90% at home also. By reducing or eliminating the cost of getting your home plug-in ready the average consumer will be more likely to charge using a Level 2.

That being said, Palo Alto may be different than the rest of the country. The average home in Palo Alto most likely sells for over $1M…so a few hundred dollars probably can be found in  sofa cushions…or in the bottom of the dryer…

I read a good article that indicated that the city council is streamlining the permitting process as they want to increase the adoption of EVs in the city. I am all for this! We have being doing installations throughout the country and have found getting a permit fast and inexpensive is important

We want to know what are your thoughts are about the new proposal for Palo Alto? Do you think this building code requirement should be standard across the country? Should there be an opt-out for new developers that don’t want to install the proposed wiring?

Give us your opinion!