Sourcing Renewables  -  June 16, 2020

Florida enacts law to expand EV charging network

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law this week the Essential State Infrastructure bill, which will allow the state to pursue a vast network of electric vehicle charging stations along highways.

The measure was supported in the state legislature by both Republicans and Democrats to encourage wider spread use of electric vehicles, AP reported June 12.

The Sunshine State currently has just over 4,000 public and private charging outlets already installed, much of which are in metropolitan areas. This new law requires state officials to send the governor and lawmakers a new plan by July 1, 2021, to build more charging stations along the highway and deliver a status report by Dec. 1 of that year.

An additional requirement of the law is that the state estimates the loss of gas tax revenue, which experts estimate accounts for nearly a quarter of state highway funding.

Florida currently has nearly 70,000 fully or partially electric vehicles registered, although that number could be higher as drivers aren’t required to identify cars as electric. Florida also has the third-highest number of electric vehicles in the nation after California and Washington, D.C.

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