This story was originally published by CalMatters and is republished with permission.
In Atherton, one of the nation’s richest towns, giant oaks and well-manicured hedges surround gated mansions owned by some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent billionaires, basketball stars, tech executives, and venture capitalists.
Each set on an acre of land, six-bedroom estates, brick-paved pathways, neoclassical statues, and cascading fountains are on full display. But increasingly, another status symbol has been parked in these driveways: a shiny electric car — sometimes two.
This tiny San Mateo County community — with an average home value of almost $7.5 million and average household income exceeding half a million dollars — has California’s highest percentage of electric cars, according to a CalMatters analysis of data from the Energy Commission. About one out of every seven, or 14 percent, of Atherton’s 6,261 cars are electric.
CalMatters’ statewide analysis ... Read more
