Morgan: Portsmouth is worst in NH for EV fast charging stations due to bad zoning
In mid-July, the National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings and heat advisories for 20 states with a combined population in excess of 100 million. Temperature records are falling by the wayside, not just in the United States, but around the world. Earth is heating up. That’s because we put too much carbon in the atmosphere.
Until we reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the problem will only grow worse.
Here in New Hampshire, 47% of GHG emissions are generated by the transportation sector. Transitioning to electric vehicles (EV) would go a long way toward reducing emissions, however that transition will only occur if EV chargers are ubiquitous.
Portsmouth’s location along the Interstate 95 corridor is ideal for EV fast chargers, i.e. those chargers that provide an 80% charge in 25 minutes (not be confused with Level 2 chargers that take far longer to charge a vehicle). Portsmouth is well-positioned to lead the Granite State in EV fast chargers.
Instead, we are dead last among New Hampshire’s 13 cities. Even Berlin is ahead of us. New Hampshire is last in New England, trailing far behind our neighboring states. And Portsmouth is last in New Hampshire. That is quite a distinction for the eco-municipality.
Why are we failing? Portsmouth’s arcane zoning regulations are hostile to EV fast chargers. Tesla, Electrify America, ChargePoint, and others in the EV charging industry are quite adept at interpreting municipal zoning codes. If an ordinance states that you cannot do this or that, they understand. No means no. The industry is not inclined to fight City Hall. Rather, they prefer to simply move on to more welcoming communities. And that is exactly what they did.
City Manager Karen Conard continues to insist that her zoning ordinance is supportive of EV infrastructure. If that were so, why then are we in last place?
Elsewhere, it is an entirely different story. Consider, for example, Tesla’s 8-plug fast charger installation at Hannaford in Rochester (see image). Shoppers plug in, do their shopping, and when they exit the store, their vehicles are 80% charged. This installation came at no cost to Rochester taxpayers.
Hannaford, Walmart, Target and other retail chains grant long term leases to charging operators because the retailers understand that the charging stations are good for business.
How about encouraging an EV fast charger installation by Hannaford’s Portsmouth store? Oh, wait! Sorry, not permitted by the zoning ordinance.
A few years ago, the city of Keene copied Portsmouth’s EV zoning provisions. Not a good idea, but that’s what they did. As you might suspect, the outcome in Keene was exactly the same as in Portsmouth, i.e. no EV fast chargers anywhere in the city.
Eventually, Keene city officials acknowledged their error and abandoned the Portsmouth model. Now EV chargers are springing up all over Keene. Fast chargers were recently installed at the Monadnock Food Coop, just two blocks from the square.
To be clear, I do not support an expenditure of city funds for chargers. Nor municipal management of EV infrastructure.
Nor do I favor a public-private partnership. We have seen that movie, and we know how it ends.
Rather, Portsmouth City Hall should just get out of the way. The city council should lift the ban and allow privately owned and operated EV fast chargers in all of Portsmouth’s non-residential zoning districts.
Tom Morgan is a resident of Portsmouth.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Morgan: Why Portsmouth is worst in NH for EV fast-charging stations
