Public EV Charging Stations Arrive in Los Altos

The first of six public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations were installed Tuesday afternoon, in the Los Altos Civic Center parking lot next to the Bus Barn Theater.

You may see workers downtown installing the Chargepoint charging stations at Parking Plaza 3 near the back door of Lulu's Restaurant.

The City Council, in approving the charging stations earlier this year, had established a price ($1 an hour), but Tuesday night it got the last detail in the Municipal Code finished.

The council directed staff to write an amendment to the Municipal Code to allow parking at the EV charging stations to be restricted to active charging use, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

The Town of Los Altos Hills has a similar ordinance.

"That's exciting, and something you should be commended for," said state Sen. Jerry Hill to the council Tuesday night about the new charging stations. Hill, who picked up Los Altos and other lower Peninsula cities in the recent state redistricting of District 13, came to update the council on matters in Sacramento and to answer any questions they might have. 

Private entities in Los Altos had EV charging stations first. Passerelle Investments has a charging station in its parking garage. The David & Lucile Packard Foundation has two in its employees lot and one in the guest parking lot across the street from its entrance.

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