Mountain View’s Sustainability Committee voted Nov. 6 to implement a multifamily electric‑vehicle charger rebate pilot funded by a Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) formula grant and augmented by a city adder.

Climate fellow Stephanie Grant told the committee the program will use the city’s $379,921 SVCE allotment and stack a Mountain View rebate onto SVCE’s existing incentives. The combined package is intended to reduce upfront costs for property owners and, in some cases, cover the full project cost. Staff estimated the program could fund about 180 new charging outlets across multifamily properties and would include a property‑owner liaison to aid managers through procurement and installation.

Grant said SVCE has been covering about two‑thirds of project costs on average but property managers still cite high remaining costs and administrative barriers. Mountain View’s add‑on is designed to make eligible projects more viable and to create early market momentum so more multifamily sites adopt permanent charging.

Committee members asked about eligibility, port caps, program administration and whether funds could be used for repairs to existing chargers; staff said most parameters mirror SVCE’s program rules but the city add‑on is intended to be flexible and SVCE will provide regular reporting on reservations and usage.

Motion and implementation
The committee approved the staff recommendation to implement the rebate pilot and accept SVCE funding; votes were unanimous (Chair Hicks, Member Showalter, Member Clark). Staff said the program aims to launch in spring, will track reservations and project metrics through SVCE reporting, and may use an evaluation survey of property managers, contractors and tenants when the pilot concludes.

Program budget and outreach details
Staff proposed allocating most funds to rebates, with $25,000 earmarked for a liaison and outreach. The staff presentation estimated typical combined incentives at roughly $4,500 per Level 1 outlet and $8,500 per Level 2 port after stacking SVCE and Mountain View support, with additional allowances for panel upgrades or trenching where needed.