Hayley Berliner
Trenton – Today, the New Jersey State Senate took a step further towards the goal of electrification of our transportation sector by passing legislation (A3367/S1951) that would encourage common interest communities to install electric vehicle charging stations for at-home use. The legislation passed the State Senate by a vote of 36 to 2. The bill previously passed the State Assembly unanimously last month and now heads to Governor Murphy’s desk. The bill prevents condo or homeowner associations from establishing rules to bar the installation of EV charging stations, therefore allowing unit owners to purchase and install charging stations for their parking spaces.
Hayley Berliner, clean energy associate for Environment New Jersey, issued the following statement:
“The ability to charge an electric vehicle at home is one of the most important factors people use to decide whether to purchase or lease an electric vehicle. At-home charging reduces range anxiety and provides EV drivers a sense of security, knowing that they can always charge when they get home at night. There is no reason why people who live in multi-family housing shouldn’t have access to charging infrastructure.
“This bill is a great step towards the state’s goal of 330,000 EVs on the road by 2025. We need to keep our foot on the accelerator, if we want to meet the mandates of the EV Bill, reduce air pollution, and tackle climate change pollutants.
“I want to thank the Senate for passing this bill today and the bill’s prime sponsors, Sen. Bob Smith and Governor Dick Codey, for their leadership. This will put New Jersey on a path towards widespread electric vehicle adoption. The next step to keep on this road is to create a state-wide electric vehicle charging network along our major roadways and to start electrifying our diesel NJ Transit buses and our broader diesel truck fleet.”