Measure Sponsored by Swain, Benson, Lopez, Verrelli, Karabinchak and Zwicker
(TRENTON) – Aiming to encourage the use of electric vehicles (EVs) that are more environmentally-friendly than traditional vehicles that run on gas or diesel, the full Assembly advanced legislation, 53-23-0, to set regulations for and spur the installation of certain EV charging infrastructure in New Jersey.
Under the measure (A-2108/5032), an application for development submitted solely for the installation of electric vehicle supply equipment or Make-Ready parking spaces shall be considered a permitted accessory use and permitted accessory structure in all zoning or use districts of a municipality and shall not require a variance.
Sponsors of the measure, Assembly Democrats Lisa Swain (D-Bergen, Passaic), Daniel Benson (D-Mercer, Middlesex), Yvonne Lopez (D-Middlesex), Anthony Verrelli (D-Mercer, Hunterdon), Robert Karabinchak (D-Middlesex) and Andrew Zwicker (D-Somerset, Mercer, Middlesex, Hunterdon) released the following joint statement:
“In the not-so-distant future, we’ll see the day when most cars on the road are electric. By 2040, over half of all passenger vehicles sold are projected to be electric. For the sake of our climate future, that day cannot come soon enough.
“If we want to encourage consumers to shift from buying gasoline-powered cars that emit dangerous fossil fuels into the air and erode our climate, to environmentally conscious electric vehicles that will reduce our dependence on oil and support clean air initiatives, we must invest in EV charging infrastructure in every community. The standards outlined in this bill will remove roadblocks faced when installing EV supply equipment and parking spaces, which will expand our EV infrastructure and help New Jersey meet its climate goals.”