EV charging station rollout hampered by outdated state, city regulations: report
Source: Smart Cities Dive By Dan Zukowski, Reporter
Better coordination among governments and with the private sector are needed to speed the EV transition, says a new Fuels Institute report.
Spurred by multi-billion-dollar federal funding programs for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and fast-growing EV sales, companies are looking to place charging stations at convenience stores, coffee shops, multifamily housing structures and elsewhere. But, they’re hindered by nonexistent, inappropriate or outdated policies and permitting processes, said John Eichberger, executive director at the Fuels Institute, a non-advocacy research organization.
“You’ve got zoning requirements and permitting processes that are not designed for this type of equipment, and so they’re trying to take outdated programs and apply it to this,” Eichberger said, adding that some localities are treating EV charging stations like a “petroleum storage tank system.”
A report issued this month by the Fuels Institute’s Electric Vehicle Council revealed that most states and localities surveyed had little to no policies for public EV charging. Of 100 localities surveyed in the organization’s prior 2021 report, 49 cities or counties had established ordinances or other regulations governing EV charging installations; 23 of them were in California.
Local policies often include requirements for parking and signage; design, installation and technical issues; EV-ready building codes; and permitting specific to nonresidential charging stations. EV-ready parking spaces include a junction box or 240-volt outlet. Some localities require new construction to include EV-capable parking spaces, which means the parking space has the basic wiring for future EV charging in place.
Atlanta requires 20% of parking spaces in new commercial and multifamily structures to be “EV ready.” Seattle and Chicago require minimums for EV-ready parking spaces in nonresidential spaces of 10% and 20%, respectively, while San Jose, California, requires that 10% be installed and 40% be EV-capable.