Santa Clara Requires New Buildings To Be Prewired For EV Chargers

Originally published on Kompulsa.

Santa Clara County (in California) has mandated that new homes and non-residential buildings be pre-wired to accommodate electric vehicle charging stations during their construction. This prevents owners from having to pay up to $2,000 to redo wiring in a building that has already been constructed. Pre-wiring only costs up to $200.

The pre-wiring is for Level 2 EV charging stations, which operate at 220-240 volts and can charge electric vehicles in four to seven hours.

“Despite their growing popularity and environmental benefits, lack of charging infrastructure remains a barrier for many wanting to purchase an electric vehicle,” said Supervisor Ken Yeager, President of County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. “This ordinance makes it easier for residents to replace conventional cars with electric vehicles, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in this county.”

Transportation will likely be electrified at some point, whether it is within the next decade or century. This is one natural step along that path.

This follows a similar law recently passed in Palo Alto which requires that “all newly built homes include adequate circuitry for charging electric vehicles.”

h/t: Plugin Europe.

Image Credit: Toyota.