Los Angeles City Councilmen Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District, and Paul Krekorian, 2nd District, introduced a motion on Aug. 6 that calls for Los Angeles to establish a citywide master plan for electric vehicles. The councilmen said the plan will be a critical component in addressing the worsening climate crisis.

“Meeting our climate goals in less than 14 years requires urgent action and a broad-based approach,” said O’Farrell, chairman of the council’s Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Los Angeles River Committee. “We have a golden opportunity to work with the Biden administration on our shared objectives for a sustainable and clean energy future. The sooner we transition to all-electric vehicles, the sooner we clean the air in Los Angeles, mindful that this region still has the nation’s worst air quality. For that reason, incentivizing electric vehicle use in Los Angeles is arguably our top environmental priority.”

“The city’s Green New Deal has already established ambitious targets for carbon neutrality, including converting all city fleet vehicles to zero emissions by 2028 and installing 28,000 publicly available EV chargers by the end of this decade,” Krekorian said. “The development of a bold plan to increase electric vehicle use across the city is another essential component of the battle against climate change. I look forward to working with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and city agencies in this effort.”

The motion instructs the LADWP to lead the creation of a strategic and long-term citywide EV master plan that includes provisions to maximize federal and state funding for the equitable placement of electric vehicle infrastructure across Los Angeles. The plan is expected to include incentives for the adoption of EVs for residential, commercial and industrial customers, with a focus on maximizing current and future renewable infrastructure.

The plan builds upon previous local efforts including the landmark 2015 Los Angeles Sustainability Plan and the Los Angeles Green New Deal. At the federal level, President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Aug. 5 that sets a national target for the United States to make half of all new vehicles purchased by 2030 zero-emission vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric vehicles. Biden’s $7.5 billion plan will include a path towards a national EV network in partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and other labor leaders.

In 2020, Los Angeles surpassed the goal of installing 10,000 commercial chargers – two years earlier than the L.A. Green New Deal goal – with the support of LADWP, which provided funding incentives. Los Angeles currently has an estimated 11,045 commercial charging stations, the most of any city in the United States, and is on track to meet its next electric transportation milestones, including 25,000 commercial charging stations by 2025 and 28,000 by 2028.

“We have made great strides when it comes to making L.A. an EV-friendly city by continuing to enhance our Charge Up L.A. EV rebate programs, with a focus on increasing access in disadvantaged communities,” LADWP General Manager and Chief Engineer Martin L. Adams said.