Lawmakers Look To Vastly Expand Electric Vehicle Charging Stations In PA

HARRISBURG — State lawmakers, including those from Montgomery County and other parts of Southeastern Pennsylvania, participated in a policy hearing Monday at the state Capitol about the electric vehicle industry.

Legislators heard from industry experts on issues such as the economic growth of electric vehicles in Pennsylvania to the infrastructure challenges, such as the need to expand the number of public charging stations.

One of the lawmakers who attended was state Rep. Mary Jo Daley, a Democrat representing the 148th Legislative District covering Plymouth and Whitemarsh townships in Montgomery County.

"I've personally experienced the scarcity of electric vehicle charging stations in Pennsylvania and the struggles that come along with it," Daley said in a statement. "With the growing number of electric vehicles being used in the commonwealth, we need to make sure electric vehicle charging stations are as available as gas stations."

According to the state House Democratic Policy Committee, which hosted Monday's hearing, electric vehicle use has skyrocketed in Pennsylvania as of late, with nearly 30,000 electric vehicles now being registered in the commonwealth, compared with the overall 12 million registered vehicle statewide.

The number of registered EVs has been doubled over the past five years, according to the committee.

Pennsylvania says it is set to receive more than $25 million each year through 2026 under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and that a large portion of that money will go toward the Biden administration's goal of installing electric vehicle charging stations every 50 miles along the country's major highways.

"It is critical that Pennsylvania is positioned to receive and apply for all available EV federal funding opportunities and to assist communities and local partners to be successful for an effective and efficient rollout of EV initiatives," Natasha Fackler, infrastructure implementation coordinator with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, stated in her testimony. "PennDOT is committed to providing EV awareness, education, and technical capacity to our partners, especially to support EV industry job skills, local small business development and educational opportunities for all job-levels."

Also testifying at the hearing was Tony Bandiero, of the Eastern Pennsylvania Alliance for Clean Transportation.

Bandiero stated that the current figure of 2,700-plus public electric vehicle charging stations at more than 1,110 Pennsylvania locations needs to double in order to fully support EVs in the commonwealth.

"It is estimated that 4,300 [stations] are needed for a fully functioning electric vehicle economy in Pennsylvania," Bandiero stated, according to his written testimony provided by the committee.

Those who testified Monday also spoke of the huge economic benefit of continuing to support the electric vehicle industry in Pennsylvania. They said EVs help consumers save money on fuel and maintenance costs, and that electricity rates paid to utilities and generation companies stay within the local economy.

Monday's hearing at the state Capitol was hosted by Daley, who sits on the House Policy Committee.

Full testimony from each of the participants at this week's committee hearing can be found here.