In order to achieve the dream of truly sustainable cities, neighborhoods, and homes, those involved in green building must employ big picture thinking. Visions of the future must focus on infrastructure, ensuring that all aspects of a home or office building are ready to support all aspects of a greener life.
In Palo Alto, California that means creating homes that are electric car-ready. In the US, adoption of electric vehicles has been slower than many would like, mostly due to price and the lack of a nationwide charging infrastructure. The California city hopes to save homeowners some money (and speed the development of said infrastructure) by requiring all new residential construction to be pre-wired for electric vehicle charging stations.
The Palo Alto City Council recently passed a new ordinance that changed the building code to include a residential EV charging requirement. The Council’s decision was unanimous, and ultimately, meant to save homeowners money.