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Home My WebLink About2026-04-02; Environmental Sustainability Commission; 01; Overview of the Clean Mobility Charging Master PlanMeeting Date: April 2, 2026 To: Environmental Sustainability Commission From: James Wood, Environmental Sustainability Director Staff Contact: Kylie Martin, Technical Assistant kylie.martin@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2729 Nick Gorman, Associate Engineer nick.gorman@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2793 Subject: Overview of the Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan Districts: All Recommended Action Receive a presentation on the city’s plan to develop a Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan. Executive Summary The City of Carlsbad’s Climate Action Plan, or CAP, is intended to reduce greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions, improve community resilience and guide the city’s transition to a more sustainable future. A key strategy to achieve these goals is to reduce emissions from transportation, the city’s largest source of GHGs, by expanding and modernizing clean mobility infrastructure. Among the required actions in the city’s 2024 CAP is the preparation of a clean mobility charging master plan to guide the expansion and modernization of public electric vehicle and bicycle charging infrastructure. The relevant excerpts from the CAP are provided in Exhibit 1. Explanation & Analysis To advance California’s ambitious emissions reduction goals—and to fulfill a key mitigation measure of the General Plan Update—the City of Carlsbad became one of the first cities in the county to adopt a CAP in 2015, establishing measurable strategies and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2015, state targets have been updated, and the city has more current information about the amount of GHG emissions generated by different sources in Carlsbad. A comprehensive update to the CAP was approved by the City Council on Nov. 12, 2024, to reflect more recent ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION April 2, 2026 Item #1 Page 1 of 4 data and legislation. The CAP can be found on the city’s website: https://www.carlsbadca.gov/departments/environmental-sustainability/climate-action-plan Measure T-8 in the CAP (“Increase Public Zero Emission Infrastructure”) identified the development of a Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan as a priority initiative to help achieve the city’s GHG reduction targets. City staff put out a Request for Proposal in fall 2025 and selected Kittelson & Associates, Inc. The agreement was approved by the City Council on Jan. 27, 2026. The consultants will prepare a comprehensive clean mobility charging master plan that evaluates current public charging conditions and identifies locations for additional public charging infrastructure. They will assess existing charging assets, user demand, site performance, land use patterns and accessibility constraints. This work will be supported by GIS mapping as well as a demographic and equity analysis to identify underserved areas and anticipate future charging needs as electric mobility adoption increases. Using this analysis as a foundation, the consultant will develop strategies for expanding charging infrastructure across a wide range of electric mobility devices, including electric vehicles, e-bikes, cargo bikes, neighborhood electric vehicles1 and other emerging modes of transportation. The plan will: • Recommend strategic charging locations • Address Americans with Disabilities Act and physical constraints • Evaluate policy tools and incentives for private development to install publicly available charging stations • Incorporate best practices for safe, reliable and equitable charging This plan will establish a framework for evaluating future clean mobility charging needs, consistent with CAP goals and anticipated changes in electric mobility technology. The Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan would provide information to support future city decisions and applications for external funding. Next Steps Staff will be presenting a project overview to the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission on April 6, 2026. The consultant team is currently preparing initial analysis to inform the gap assessment, as well as a community engagement approach, since public outreach is an important aspect of the plan that will be ongoing throughout. Staff will return to the Environmental Sustainability Commission with project updates, as appropriate. Fiscal Analysis This action has no fiscal impact. 1 Neighborhood electric vehicles are battery-powered vehicles designed for local travel at a low speed, often on streets with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less. April 2, 2026 Item #1 Page 2 of 4 Environmental Evaluation The proposed action is not a “project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, Section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5) and does not require environment review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3) and 15061(b)(3), because the proposed action to report on the Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan is an organizational or administrative government activity that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment. Any subsequent action or direction stemming from the proposed action may require preparation of an environmental document in accordance with CEQA or CEQA Guidelines. Exhibits 1. Excerpts from the Climate Action Plan, November 2024 April 2, 2026 Item #1 Page 3 of 4 Exhibit 1 April 2, 2026 Item #1 Page 4 of 4 Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan Kylie Martin (she/her) Nick Gorman (he/him) Technical Assistant Associate Engineer April 2, 2026 RECOMMENDED ACTION Receive a presentation on the city’s plan to develop a Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan. Environmental Sustainability Commission 2 CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP) OVERVIEW •Original CAP adopted in 2015; comprehensive update in 2024 •Mitigation measure for 2015 General Plan Update and 2024 Housing Element Implementation and Public Safety Element Update •CAP focuses on many different sectors such as energy, water, and waste diversion Environmental Sustainability Commission 3 TRANSPORTATION IN THE CAP •Transportation is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions at 51% •Advances electric vehicle and electric bike adoption through expanded clean mobility infrastructure •Formed from Measure T-8 of the CAP Environmental Sustainability Commission 4 Measure T-8 Details Environmental Sustainability Commission Measure T-8: Increase Public Zero Emission Infrastructure Goal: Support transition to electric mobility by providing access to more public charging Action T-8.e: Update existing Electric Vehicle Siting Plan 5 What is the Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan? •Mainly focused on E-Vehicle charging, but will explore E-Bike Charging •Resource for city staff to know where, what, and how to install/fund public charging •Data collection and outreach will be key to guiding these decisions •Position the city for grant readiness Environmental Sustainability Commission 6 DATA COLLECTION •Review existing charging infrastructure •Review existing charging performance •Review additional citywide data •Create GIS-Based Map •Determine gaps in charging network Environmental Sustainability Commission 7 Outreach Environmental Sustainability Commission Outreach Goals Ensure Plan Reflects Community Needs Identify Opportunities for Collaboration Planned Outreach Phase 1: Intercept Surveys Phase 2: Online Survey Targeted Stakeholder Meetings Intended Outreach Audience •Carlsbad residents •Current EV drivers •Potential EV adopters •Employees commuting to Carlsbad •Visitors •Local businesses and property owners •North County Transit District (NCTD) •San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) •San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) •Local businesses •Local developers 8 Next steps Environmental Sustainability Commission •Staff will be presenting to the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission on April 6, 2026 •Begin public outreach •Completion of gap assessment 9 RECOMMENDED ACTION Receive a presentation on the city’s plan to develop a Clean Mobility Charging Master Plan. Environmental Sustainability Commission 10 Thank you! Environmental Sustainability Commission Kylie Martin Nick Gorman Technical Assistant Associate Engineer kylie.martin@carlsbadca.gov nick.gorman@carlsbadca.gov Katie Hentrich Climate Action Plan Administrator katie.hentrich@carlsbadca.gov 11