An Important Move Forward for Electric Vehicles
Howard County, Maryland has passed legislation to require EV charging infrastructure at new residential construction.
This legislation is one of the first of its kind outside of California. In November, 2017, the city of Atlanta adopted an EV charging infrastructure readiness requirement for new construction. At the time, Georgia ranked second behind California for sales of electric vehicles.
The Howard County Council voted unanimously to approve CB76-2018 sponsored by Councilwoman Jen Terrasa who said, “This is an important move forward for electric vehicles and for the environment.”
A public hearing on CB76 was held on October 15, 2018 and brought out a number of EV drivers, future EV drivers and organizations such as the Howard County Citizens Association to testify in support of the bill.
The Maryland Building Industry Association (MBIA) and the Maryland Multi-Housing Association (MMHA) opposed the bill. Some of their concerns were addressed by an amendment that included language to clarify that the bill applied only to new construction.
Councilwoman Terrasa summarized the bill:
“This legislation does two things. For newly constructed communities with townhomes without garages or driveways, apartments, or condos, a community-accessible electric vehicle charging station must be installed at the ratio of 1 charging station per 25 units. For newly constructed single family homes or townhomes with garages or driveways, the developer is required to install what wiring so that the homeowner can easily complete the installation of a charging unit.”
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