(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 Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee on Wednesday advanced legislation 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.
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) would be required to develop a model land use ordinance for the siting of electric vehicle supply equipment and Make-Ready parking spaces and to post the ordinance on its website.
The model land use ordinance would include a requirement that a certain number of electric vehicle supply equipment and Make-Ready parking spaces be provided as a condition of receiving site plan approval. The number of EV charging infrastructure required, and the type of charge required, would depend on the type and size of structure.
The legislation also sets standards for electric vehicle supply equipment and Make-Ready parking space installation in parking garages and residential developments. Gas stations and existing retail establishments would be exempt from certain requirements when proposing to install EV charging infrastructure.
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.”