DC Councilmember Introduces Bill To Install 7,500 Electric Car-Charging Stations

• November 16th 2022

by UrbanTurf Staff

DC Councilmember Charles Allen introduced legislation on Wednesday that could bring 7,500 electric car-charging stations to the city over the next four years.  The “Comprehensive Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Access, Readiness, and Sustainability Amendment Act of 2022” would substantially increase the number of charging stations from the 250 that are currently installed around DC. 

"To even attempt to meet the goals of emission reductions from vehicles, we need to accelerate the switch to electric vehicles as quickly as we can," Allen said in a press release. "But without the EV charging infrastructure in place or the pipeline in development, we are destined to fail in meeting the challenge of our time."

The bill outlines a variety of ways to reach the installation of 7,500 public charging stations by 2027, including: 

• Having DDOT use federal infrastructure funds to install charging stations in areas of DC lacking EV infrastructure.
• Considering installation of stations in major streetscape projects.
• Creating a grant program to incentivize the purchase, installation, and upgrades of EV charging stations. 
• Requiring new commercial and multi-unit buildings to have parking lots that include infrastructure that accommodates EV charging stations.
• Creating a permitting requirement for newly built or renovated single-family homes with dedicated off-street parking to be EV-charging ready.
• Allowing condo owners and homeowners to install EV charging stations with reasonable requirements and safety restrictions by condo or co-op boards. 

The bill was co-introduced by Chairman Phil Mendelson and Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau, Mary Cheh, Janeese Lewis George, and Christina Henderson. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/dc_councilmember_introduces_bill_to_install_7500_electric_car-charging_stat/20323.