LA Eases Rules For Home Electric Car Chargers

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — With a new generation of plug-in electric vehicles on display at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show, city officials announced Thursday they are making it easier for residents to install electric vehicle chargers in their homes.

"By streamlining the process for permitting, inspection and meter installation, the city of Los Angeles is making it easy and convenient for residents to own electric vehicles," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

First Deputy Mayor and Interim General Manager Austin Beutner of the Departmentof Water and Power said DWP has a program that will allow its customers to charge their electric vehicle at their home within a week of purchase. He called that timeline a "new national standard."

Villaraigosa said since Los Angeles has the largest city-owned utility in the country, it has a "remarkable competitive advantage in the race to be the electric car capital of the world."

"We are leveraging the Department of Water and Power's considerable resources to improve the home charger installation process and provide incentives in the form of reduced electricity rates at off-peak hours to encourage Angelenos to purchase electric cars and make an investment in our green future," Villaraigosa added.

The DWP has already installed a new generation of electric vehicle chargers at LAX and the L.A. Convention Center, where the auto show is being held, and will expand the program even further over the coming weeks to meet customer needs.

DWP has a customer care team for electric vehicle buyers. They can be reached at 1-800-DIAL-DWP starting Dec. 1.

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