By: Yuritza Arroyo
The Union County Board of County Commissioners, with funding from Union County and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, have been supporting a study aimed at preparing for an increase in electric vehicle (EV) ownership in the County over the next ten years.
According to officials, the Public Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 25, at 6:30 PM by Zoom to answer questions and get feedback on the results.
“To combat rising carbon dioxide emissions and other pollutions brought on by transportation, the County of Union is looking for more charging stations to be installed, especially since the use of electric vehicles are on the rise,” said Commissioner Chairman Sergio Granados.
“We want our residents to be able to find somewhere to charge their vehicles locally with ease, so I am looking forward to seeing the results of this study.”
The project page can be found at www.ucnj.org/ev-study, which holds a lot of information on the project and includes more on the subsidies available to purchase EVs and funding sources for the installation of EV chargers.
The growth in EV ownership is anticipated to lead to an increased demand for convenient EV charging sites throughout New Jersey.
In addition to meeting the overall demand for convenient EV charging sites, the study aims to place the County in a position to have the needed infrastructure with respect to traditionally underserved communities.
The study will attempt to address the challenge of sufficient charging equipment locations for residents renting in multifamily residences and larger developments.
New Jersey has set a goal for December 2025 to have 330,000 registered passenger EVs and at least 400 public fast chargers throughout the state. The chargers are to be distributed to no fewer than 200 locations.
There are currently three different EV charging options, depending on the driver’s needs. Drivers who charge their EVs at home can use a Level 1 Charger. These take several hours to recharge a battery fully, but they are relatively inexpensive and can be run on an ordinary household outlet.
The faster Level 2 Chargers are more appropriate for public use. Level 2 Chargers require a heavy-duty outlet of the type used by refrigerators and other large appliances.
The fastest available charger is the Level 3, also called Direct Current Fast Charge. This is a purpose-built power source which the electrical system of a home cannot support.
This Union County study will focus on Level 2 and Level 3 DCFC chargers, which would be publicly accessible.
