Transportation is New Jersey’s single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 47 percent of emissions in 2016. Advancing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is a major focus in the State’s effort to address climate change. The MLUL now requires municipalities to plan for the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure at the time of the reexamination of its master plan by identifying existing sites of public EV charging infrastructure and proposing locations for future development of public EV charging infrastructure.

Counties and municipalities have an important role to play in transitioning communities away from internal combustion engines that run on gasoline and diesel, cause air pollution and contribute to climate change. A critical barrier to EV adoption is consumer “range-anxiety”, concern that the vehicle’s battery charge won’t last until the next charging station, leaving the driver stranded. While consumers may hesitate to buy electric vehicles until charging stations are more widely available, the private sector will not supply an adequate number of charging stations until there is enough demand. Counties and municipalities should bridge this gap by working to increase the number of available charging stations, educating the public on the benefits of EVs and incentivizing adoption.