New Jersey legislature will be deciding on a bill that could offer up to US$5,000 of rebates for EV owners in the state. The new EV bill will help New Jersey meet its green goals for the next decade or so.
According to NRDC, the EV bill—aka S2252—was almost unanimously approved by the New Jersey Assembly’s Environment and Solid Waste Appropriations Committees on Monday, January 6, 2020. The bill is expected to be brought forth and discussed by the next legislative session in mid-January.
Under S2252, two rebate programs will be introduced in New Jersey. The EV bill would create an incentive program under the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), which will offer up to US$500 of rebates to people who install in-home EV equipment.
It would also offer up to US$5,000 incentives to people who purchase or lease eligible electric vehicles under the BPU. It is unknown if “eligible vehicles” means that some EVs will not receive these incentives. However, the US$5,000 seems to be the main draw of the bills.
Credit: Tesla
North Jersey all reported a rebate under S2252 for plug-in hybrids. The program will offer about US$550 of rebates to hybrids with at least 22 miles of range. The S2252 rebate programs are expected to last for 10 years or at least until US$300 million is spent.
Besides strong EV incentives, the bill also promotes the placement of more fast-charging stations throughout New Jersey. According to North Jersey, some drafts of the bill mention 400 to 600 fast-charging stations to be built in 200 to 300 different locations. The EV bill recommends that the stations deliver at least 60 to 80 miles of range within 20 minutes of charging.
The EV bill also encourages expanding charging opportunities in apartment buildings, condos, and townhouse developments. Franchised motels and hotels are expected to do the same.
Bill S2252 seems to be a means for New Jersey to meet ambitious clean energy goals the state set for itself. According to NRDC, New Jersey plans to adopt 100 percent clean energy and reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The transportation sector seems to be a significant player in New Jersey’s future plans since it accounts for 47 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. So the EV bill is ambitiously pushing New Jersey into the world of electric vehicles and sustainable transportation.
As stated by North Jersey, S2252 has the following goals:
- 1,000 level-two chargers, which add 10 to 60 miles of range per hour of charging, by 2025.
- 30 percent of all apartment, condo, and townhouse developments to have chargers by 2030.
- 50 percent of all franchised hotels and motels to have chargers by 2030.
- All non-emergency state-owned cars and small trucks to be electric by 2035.
- NJ Transit to buy only electric-powered buses by the end of 2032.
New Jersey’s ultimate goal for its transportation sector is to increase the number of electric vehicles on the road today from 25,000 to 330,000 by 2025. Bill S2252 is expected to help the state meets all its clean energy goals about the transportation sector in New Jersey.
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