St. Paul City Council votes unanimously to boost EV-readiness
The zoning ordinance mandates new surface parking be EV-capable
The St. Paul City Council unanimously passed a zoning proposal Wednesday that aims to prepare new surface parking lots for a future with more electric vehicles.
The proposal says new surface parking lots with more than 15 spots would have to be EV capable, meaning the wiring and panel spacing would be ready for chargers, but none would be mandated or built just yet.
“You won’t see a great change overnight. But hopefully in the next decade or two to come, we’ll look back at this and see a real change and see the foresight and all the money saved as we help people get involved in the EV revolution,” city planner Bill Dermody said ahead of the vote.
Current industry projections predict 30 to 50 percent of new vehicle sales will be electric by 2030 or soon after. St. Paul has set a city operations carbon neutrality goal for 2030 and citywide goal by 2050.
Published April 19, 2024 4:38PM
