SOUTH PORTLAND — Metropolis officers are creating an ordinance that may require most new and rebuilt parking areas to incorporate electrical automobile charging stations.
South Portland can be the second metropolis in Maine to undertake such a requirement, constructing on a fundamental building normal that Portland adopted final December. South Portland’s ordinance can be extra complete, nonetheless, together with a waiver for individuals who can’t afford it and tips for charging station set up and accessibility.
Lowering gasoline-burning automobile emissions and selling electrical automobile use are major motion gadgets outlined within the metropolis’s One Local weather Future Plan, which was developed in partnership with Portland, in addition to the state’s local weather motion plan, Maine Gained’t Wait.
“Car electrification can be probably the most necessary issues we will do to get rid of emissions from our transportation system right here in South Portland,” mentioned Cashel Stewart, town’s sustainable transportation coordinator.
Attaining these objectives would fortify South Portland’s status as the ‘greenest’ city in Maine, primarily based partially on its not too long ago profitable six-year, $2.eight million court battle that blocked the Portland Pipe Line Corp. from bringing tar sands crude oil from Canada to South Portland.
Along with being a pacesetter in creating municipal solar energy and banning plastic purchasing luggage, foam meals containers and pesticides, South Portland is also creating a tree-protection ordinance that may be the hardest within the state and is contemplating a $4.5 million municipal bond situation on the Nov. 2 poll to purchase extra open area.
Transportation is the biggest polluting sector in Maine, accounting for 54 p.c of greenhouse gases statewide and 32 p.c in South Portland, Stewart mentioned. Added this yr, Stewart’s job is certainly one of three positions within the metropolis’s six-year-old Sustainability Workplace.
At the moment, about 100 (about 0.5 p.c) of the 22,000 registered autos in South Portland are electrical, and there are about 1,920 statewide, Stewart instructed the Metropolis Council this week. Metropolis officers wish to improve the variety of light-duty electrical autos registered right here to 30 p.c by 2030, 60 p.c by 2040 and 100 p.c by 2050.
“There are solely so some ways town can affect automobile gross sales, and one of many main hesitancies for any person shopping for an EV is lack of charging choices,” Stewart mentioned. “So to be able to incentivize transitioning to electrical autos, we have to begin constructing a cohesive and accessible community of EV charging stations that’s widespread and obtainable to all.”
The town maintains 10 free, publicly accessible charging stations on municipal property, together with at Metropolis Corridor, the neighborhood middle, the general public works facility and the planning division on the former Hamlin College. South Portland companies function a further 26 charging stations which can be publicly accessible however not essentially handy, Stewart mentioned.
“Fairly just a few of these 26 are at automobile dealerships or at motels,” Stewart mentioned. “So there aren’t a ton of electrical automobile charging choices proper now, and (many) of them are offered by town.”
Gasoline-burning autos emit many pollution, together with carbon dioxide, which contribute to native air air pollution and international local weather change. Electrical autos are powered by electrical energy saved in batteries, in order that they don’t have any tailpipe emissions. And if they’re charged with electrical energy from clear renewable sources, they turn out to be a zero-emission automobile, Stewart mentioned.
Stewart believes demand for electrical autos will proceed to develop, noting that almost each main automobile producer on the planet has made commitments to go all electrical within the subsequent 10 to 15 years, together with Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, VW and Jeep.
“The market is admittedly exploding, and there’s a variety of buzz about electrical autos proper now,” Stewart mentioned. “5 years in the past there have been solely a handful of electrical automobile fashions on the market, and now there’s over 80.”
At the very least 23 fashions begin beneath $40,000, in order that they’re extra reasonably priced than ever, he mentioned, and that doesn’t embody Effectivity Maine rebates or federal tax credit that additional scale back prices.
The council unanimously endorsed Stewart’s groundwork, and requested him to come back again with an ordinance for consideration in just a few months.
“We now have an obligation as neighborhood leaders to say ‘The time is now,’ ” mentioned Councilor April Caricchio. “That is what we wish for our metropolis.”
Some councilors had reservations, particularly about requiring builders to put in charging stations now for anticipated future want.
“I’m just a little involved about … simply piling on well-intentioned ordinances to have an effect on change that could be utterly pointless till a lot additional down the road,” mentioned Councilor Kate Lewis.
Forecasting primarily based on present developments, Stewart predicted South Portland residents will personal no less than 1,400 electrical autos by 2030, 6,900 by 2040 and 14,900 by 2050.
“That’s simply South Portlanders. That doesn’t embody (22,703 each day) commuters which can be coming in,” Stewart mentioned. “It additionally doesn’t embody any vacationers or guests or anyone else who’s coming with an EV. So I say these numbers, however they’re going to be considerably bigger.”
Stewart modeled the draft ordinance after Portland’s fundamental building normal, comparable legal guidelines in Boston and Vancouver, and suggestions from the Higher Portland Council of Governments.
As at the moment proposed, the ordinance would require all new or reconstructed parking heaps and parking buildings with 5 or extra areas to put in charging stations in 20 p.c of the brand new or reconstructed areas. The remaining 80 p.c must be outfitted with conduit and junction containers so charging stations might be put in sooner or later.
The ordinance would stipulate {that a} sure variety of charging stations must be accessible beneath the Individuals With Disabilities Act. The ordinance additionally would set requirements for design, plug sort, wire size and indicators, and it could apply to full-depth reclamation or reconstruction of current parking areas.
“We use this definition as a result of it’s an excellent time for including charging stations as a result of the developer can have dug to a degree within the car parking zone the place you often add electrical energy infrastructure,” Stewart mentioned. “Usually, that is the most costly a part of an EV charging station venture, so having builders already there doing it, it’s actually prime time to do it.”
The ordinance wouldn’t block property house owners from charging a charge to make use of their charging stations, particularly if it helps cowl the price of putting in and sustaining the service, Stewart mentioned. It prices about $650 for a fundamental charging station that’s not linked to the web and isn’t able to bank card funds, in comparison with $4,700 for a web-ready charging station.
Stewart’s subsequent steps will embody calculating what number of further charging stations could be put in yearly beneath the brand new ordinance. He additionally plans to fulfill with builders subsequent month to learn the way the ordinance would possibly have an effect on them, particularly because it pertains to any waiver town would possibly provide for prohibitive prices or infrastructure challenges.
“We wish to present an possibility for builders who encounter conditions that make it financially unreasonable to do that,” Stewart mentioned.
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