Washington, D.C., residents could see a stark increase in public electric vehicle chargers after councilmembers introduced a bill that would install at least 7,500 chargers across the district.
Councilman Charles Allen (D) for Ward 6, who is chairman of the transportation and environment committee, introduced the bill and received all 13 councilmember signatures in support.
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The city already possesses 250 public chargers, but the bill would require the D.C. Department of Transportation to install an additional 7,500 chargers for public use. Currently, the district is home to 5,000 electric vehicles, according to DCist.
The bill, the Comprehensive Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Access, Readiness, and Sustainability Amendment Act of 2023, would help the regional Transportation Planning Board meet its climate goal of having 90% of vehicles in the district running electric by 2040. Car buyers have cited charging accessibility as a top concern for owning electric vehicles, according to DCist.
“Charging infrastructure needs to become as common and reliable as how you think about gas stations today,” Allen said. “But instead, they’ve got to be built into the places where you’re already making that trip in the first place.”
“Until we build the infrastructure out, we are never going to be able to achieve any type of real and meaningful shift in consumers to electric vehicles,” Allen continued.
The bill would also increase renters’ and condo owners’ rights to install chargers, install a charger within their building as long as they pay for it and create a grant program to purchase or upgrade existing chargers.
Four stations must be in each ward by the end of the year, with chargers having two ports each, per the bill. Allen said they should be installed in places with “immediate impact,” such as offices, grocery stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues.
Residents and businesses could receive anywhere from $4,500 to $35,000 to install or upgrade charging infrastructure through the bill’s proposed grants. Those installing Fast or Level 3 chargers, providing between 75 and 1,200 miles of range per hour, would receive the largest grants, followed by Level 2 chargers, which can provide anywhere from 12-80 miles of range per hour.
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Electric vehicles currently account for about 2% of the over 13 million vehicles registered throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, but registrations have risen about 65-fold over the past decade, according to the Washington Post. In the D.C. area alone, electric vehicles and hybrids account for 5% of light-duty vehicles.
