Town staff updated the Climate Action Committee on the town’s six public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations installed in January 2025 and recommended further evaluation of where to expand charging access.

Phoebe, town sustainability staff, said the stations have recorded 844 charging sessions from April through mid-November, delivering over 8,000 kilowatt-hours and about 2,000 hours of charging. She said the average session is roughly 2.5 hours (about 10 kWh) and costs approximately $4.15. Overall utilization at the Park site is reported at about 15% of hours.

The presentation explained operational steps taken after launch: an August ordinance prohibits parking in charging spaces without actively charging, an overstay fee is now enforced by code compliance, signage and ADA-compliant striping were improved, and staff have begun a PG&E panel-upgrade process to increase site amperage and allow for additional stations.

Committee members asked for context on the 15% figure and whether usage data could be provided by hour and by station. Phoebe said hourly and per-station data exist and offered to provide comparisons with other jurisdictions. She attributed a July change in staff reimbursement for charging to a dip in recorded public sessions and said the town intentionally added public stations to online maps in July, which appears to have increased discoverability.

Members raised future siting options, including the East Corte Madera/baseball-field area and the North Menke Park lot. Staff said North Menke is county-owned but town-operated and that acquiring the lot would give the town more control for charger installation and lot improvements. The committee also discussed vendor models and countywide turnkey options to reduce staff burden for installation and operations.

On finance, Phoebe said Town Park operations are currently running a small deficit (about $80 per month) and that staff will reevaluate fees and financial performance after a full year of data.

Next steps: staff will provide more granular usage data on request, continue PG&E coordination for panel upgrades, evaluate the countywide turnkey procurement approach, and include North Menke Park lot acquisition in next year’s work plan discussion.