Carlsbad staff outline data-driven plan for citywide electric-vehicle and e-bike charging
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Summary
City staff presented a Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan to guide public electric-vehicle and e-bike infrastructure, emphasizing data collection, two-phase outreach and partnerships to prioritize sites and position the city for grants; staff noted no dedicated public e-bike charging exists yet and described a near-term expansion of the State Street EV site.
City staff on Tuesday presented a Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan that will guide where and how Carlsbad installs public electric-vehicle and e-bike charging infrastructure.
Associate Engineer Nick Gorman and technical assistant Kylie Martin said the master plan, a required action of the city's Climate Action Plan (Measure T8), will use a data-driven approach to identify gaps, prioritize sites and make the city grant-ready. "The main purpose of this document is to ultimately provide staff with a resource to know where, what, and how to install clean mobility charging infrastructure," Gorman said.
The presenters described two phases of outreach: early, in-person intercept surveys to understand travel behavior and later online surveys. Staff said the outreach will also identify opportunities to partner with local property owners, transit agencies and businesses where city property is limited. "One of the first things we're looking to do is internally'meet with city staff and see where we have opportunities within city property," Gorman said. He added staff will reach out to the North County Transit District and other local stakeholders during the early outreach phase.
Kylie Martin framed the master plan as a tool for meeting the Climate Action Plan's transportation emissions target, noting transportation accounts for roughly 51% of Carlsbad's greenhouse-gas emissions. The plan, she said, will consider newer vehicle types and technologies and provide site-specific recommendations to accelerate adoption of zero-emission travel.
Commissioners asked about e-bike charging and whether the plan will accommodate the growing number of electric bicycles. Gorman said the city has no dedicated public e-bike charging infrastructure now and staff will research models used in other cities and consider school-based or business partnerships.
Deputy City Manager for Public Works Paz Gomez described a near-term expansion of the State Street EV site: "We are going to add six more, some of them level 2, some of them level 3'it's going to add in essence 10 more charging stations that will be available to the public," she said, and noted the project received grant funds from an Assemblymember.
On funding, staff said the plan will identify grant and public-private options based on outreach feedback. The presentation identified coordination with economic development and Visit Carlsbad to align siting with tourism and local business needs.
The commission received the presentation and staff said they will take feedback from this commission and the Traffic Safety Mobility Commission before beginning outreach.
The commission did not take formal action on the plan at this meeting; staff said they will return with initial outreach results and a gap assessment.
