Philly buys hundreds of electric vehicles but not enough chargers
Philadelphia has been buying hundreds of electric vehicles in an effort to go green, however the city does not have enough chargers. This has caused clogging at public charging stations across the city. City leaders say the goal is to create a pathway to zero emissions and eliminate new gas-powered vehicles by 2030. NBC10’s investigative reporter Claudia Vargas has the details.
Clogging at Public Charging Stations
On a cold fall day, several electric vehicle drivers were waiting for a turn to plug into one of the public chargers at a strip mall parking lot in South Philly.
Kevin Taylor, an Uber driver who has recently switched to an electric vehicle, expressed frustration with the long wait times at charging stations.
Abe Burger also highlighted the issue of clogging caused by city vehicles using public chargers.
City-Owned Chargers Not Installed Properly
The city owns 107 electric vehicle chargers for its EV fleet of 261, but many of them are located in fleet shops and facilities that aren't designated charging spots.
A review by the NBC10 Investigators found that none of the city's chargers were installed with the required electric permits, leading to violations and fines issued by the Licenses and Inspections Department.
Dominic McGraw, the city's deputy director of energy services, acknowledged the confusion and stated that they are working to rectify the situation.
Lack of Proper Planning
Philadelphia's Clean Fleet Plan aimed to switch the city's gas-powered vehicles to clean and electric cars, but it did not prioritize the installation of charging infrastructure for the vehicles.
Despite not being mentioned as a priority in the plan, the Licenses and Inspections Department received the most electric vehicles and assigned them as take-home vehicles without designated chargers.
Experts, including Kelly Reagan from Columbus, Ohio, emphasize the importance of having charging infrastructure in place before deploying electric fleets.
