Corte Madera committee pushes multifamily EV-charger outreach, seeks MCE participation

At a meeting of the Corte Madera Climate Action Committee, members discussed a coordinated outreach effort to promote installation of electric-vehicle (EV) chargers at multifamily properties and agreed to pursue partnerships with external groups, including MCE and Cool the Earth.

Committee members said the effort would combine technical resources and local outreach to reach property owners and managers. The discussion centered on identifying partners, refining a presentation for property-owner groups and testing technical content with utility or vendor representatives before public events.

Phil, a committee member, said he “corresponded with Carleen Cullen from Cool the Earth” and shared resources including county EV-sales data and a Charge@Home webpage for property owners. Phil said Cool the Earth might support outreach if funding is available. Committee members discussed whether MCE would participate and whether to rehearse a joint presentation with an MCE technician.

Committee members and staff referenced survey results and market research discussed during the meeting. One committee member summarized an internal email reporting that “62% of [respondents] responded that they would be eager to buy an EV if they have a charger at their parking place.” Another committee member described a Switch charger-company survey of about 1,500 residents across four cities that showed people with access to building chargers were roughly “two and a half times more likely” to say they would buy an EV and that about 20% said they would buy an EV “immediately” if chargers were available.

Discussion participants noted limits to what local outreach can change: cost, range anxiety and battery life remain major barriers to EV adoption, they said, so outreach should be framed as one part of a broader strategy. Committee members suggested making the outreach a business-focused message to property owners — for example, highlighting that tenants “look for EV chargers” when choosing apartments.

Next steps identified in the meeting included Phil following up with Miles Smith to secure an introduction to the Marin Property Owners Association and clarifying whether MCE will participate; drafting an outline of a presentation that reserves time for an MCE segment (or summarizes MCE incentives if MCE is unavailable); and scheduling a practice session with any technical representative who will speak. Committee members asked staff to pursue availability and confirm a date for a Marin Property Owners Association presentation.

The discussion was informational; no formal motion or vote was taken.