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If New Jersey is to get people into electric cars in sufficient numbers to dramatically reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, it will need more places to charge them.
The Murphy administration took a small step forward by imposing an ordinance facilitating the installation of electric vehicle charging stations by cities.
The new regulations allow charging stations and designated parking spaces in each of the state’s 565 cities. State officials said this week that the rules take effect immediately.
Governor Phil Murphy has put electric vehicles at the heart of his clean energy plan.
“New Jersey municipalities are on the front lines of the climate crisis, both responding to its impacts and leading the charge to reduce their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions,” said Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver in a statement this week when the regulations were announced. . “This statewide municipal ordinance provides them with consistent guidance on how to make these changes in the most effective and cost-effective manner and is a big step towards ensuring our communities are ready for a carbon neutral future. ”
The ordinance stems from legislation the governor signed in July. It requires local approval and a permit for the charging infrastructure, but these standards cannot be changed by cities. The rules give municipalities discretion over things like lighting and signage around stations.
Murphy made a commitment in New Jersey to use 100% clean energy by 2050, and reducing vehicle emissions was one of the first parts of that plan.
Transportation is the state’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for more than 40% of New Jersey’s pollution, said Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection.
In recent years, Murphy has ramped up its electric vehicle (EV) ambitions, but the state has not kept pace with its goals.
The governor has requested 330,000 electric vehicles registered in the state by 2025. At the end of 2020, there were only about 41,000 registered, according to DEP data.
Lowering the price of electric vehicles is seen as crucial for widespread adoption, as they remain significantly more expensive than their gas-guzzling counterparts.
New Jersey launched a rebate program last year that offered $ 5,000 off the sticker price of certain vehicles. This program ran out of money in December, but the state replenished the fund in July. The New Jersey rebate can be combined with a federal tax credit of $ 7,500, depending on the electric car model.
However, keeping vehicles charged can also be difficult, especially for people who cannot charge at night at home. It can take hours to reach a full charge at many publicly accessible stations. For the hundreds of thousands of apartment dwellers across the state, relying on public charging infrastructure can be difficult.
(I spent a week driving around the state in EVs earlier this year and came to the same conclusion. Read more about my experience here.)
There are fewer than 600 public charging stations in New Jersey, according to the DEP. Of these, only about 100 can deliver a nearly full charge in less than an hour. The expansion of the fast-charging network is part of the EV bill signed by Murphy in January 2020, which also introduced the rebate program.
The law provides for at least 75 fast-charging stations along major state highways, with a maximum of 25 miles between stations. Each station must have at least two chargers, provide high levels of electricity, and not use brand-specific technology – Tesla Superchargers would therefore not be compliant.
So far, only six charging stations in the state are compliant, although more are in the planning stages.
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Payton Guion can be reached at [email protected].
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