Goleta adds multiple new spaces to charge electric vehicles

GOLETA, Calif. -  The City of Goleta is now powered up with 17 new charging stations for electric vehicles.

"This is really only the beginning, but it's a big beginning," said City Councilman James Kyriaco at a special kick off event to show how the systems will work. He said, "this is all part of a larger strategy,  a larger strategic plan to be the greenest community on the South Coast. And I look forward to getting there with you together."

The project is in the City Hall parking lot.

It's funded with grants and rebates with only $11,000 dollars out of the city's budget and even that might still get covered with funds for these types of projects.

These Level 2 PowerFlex chargers are open to everyone with an electric vehicle.

The city and county are looking to add more to make it convenient for EV owners.

Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said, "we're going to be working towards a community center (site). Also, our library. All our facilities, our train station."

Elsewhere she said, "there's people all over town that live in apartments or condos and do not have access to charging, and we're making that available for new development. We will put that into our requirements."

While these 17 charging stations are at City Hall, there are a number of businesses and hundreds of apartments nearby, which means anyone, at any hour can conveniently charge up.

These operate with a phone app and a payment system.

"Then on your phone you would just say, okay, initiate charging and as soon as your phone says 'ready to charge,' then you just take the charger and plug it in," said Goleta Sustainability Manager, Dana Murray.

Santa Barbara Barbara County Supervisor, Laura Capps, said, "it's cheaper – you don't spend money,  $200 bucks a month or whatever you are spending on gas. It's cleaner, it feels better and now thanks to the City of Goleta, there's 17 chargers here. There's chargers all over the place with the county."

This project was a collaboration with the city, Southern California Edison's Charge Ready Program, and the Air Pollution Control District's (APCD) Clean Air Grants for Infrastructure Program.

"We have a lot of funding that's currently in place and we don't see any change in the near term for that funding at the state level for that funding to be removed," said APCD Director, Aeron Arlin Gemet. They are also looking for similar proposals. "In California we have a huge advantage of the state goals being very focused for zero emission vehicle technology and the expansion of that. Having the infrastructure in place is essential in order to actually change over from an internal combustion engine to a zero emission. We have to have the infrastructure."

As part of the event, the charger was connected to the first new city owned electric Chevy Silverado truck which is now on the road for Goleta projects.