Bill Would Eliminate Free Charging Stations

This article was first published in The Pilot on July 1, 2022.

Moore County’s soon-to-be North Carolina House representative is joining with three other lawmakers on legislation that could restrict access to free electric vehicle charging stations in the future.

State Rep. Ben Moss, who won the GOP primary against Jamie Boles for the newly drawn District 52 seat, is one of four Republicans in the House co-sponsoring legislation that would add regulation to the state’s incipient electric vehicle infrastructure.

Moss’ current district, which includes all of Richmond County, is being eliminated and, after the November election, will take the seat of District 52. That district incorporates Richmond County and portions of Moore.

Moss’ bill, HB 1049, was filed May 25. Known as the “Equitable Vehicle Fuel Stations,” it would essentially eliminate any free electric vehicle charging stations on public property if a gas pump is not similarly provided. Also, the bill would prevent the state or local governments from funding free chargers if they don’t provide a gas pump as well.

The bill would also require private businesses that offer free chargers to disclose to customers on receipts the pro rata fees they are paying to maintain the stations. There is currently no Senate companion to the bill.

No action is expected before next year on this bill.

Moss is joined in the legislation by Reps. Keith Kidwell, Mark Brody and George Cleveland.

Moore County has three free public charging ports: two in Southern Pines and one in Pinehurst. The Southern Pines spots may soon stop being free; the town is pursuing a private-public partnership that would increase the number of chargers. There are a few other private charging stations in the area, most of which are located at dealerships.

The legislation would also allocate $50,000 to the state Department of Transportation to destroy existing public EV stations that are non-compliant with its ruling.

“I believe in clean, renewable energy solutions that are brought forward by the free market,” Moss wrote in an email statement after declining to answer specific questions over the phone about the bill. “However, I don’t believe that taxpayers should be footing the bill by providing ‘free’ electric vehicle charging stations on state and local government property unless the same locations offer gasoline or diesel fuel at no charge.”

Critics of the legislation say the bill is counterproductive to goals of a sustainable future based on renewable energy.

The Climate Crisis Working Group, a local climate action group, described the legislation as “untenable.” In a joint written statement, members Laurie O'Loughlin and Betty Barnett said the main idea was to “dismantle all charging stations that do not comply with this ruling.”

“If the future of our environment and society are to be preserved, public and private investments will be needed,” O’Loughlin and Barnett wrote.

Moss acknowledged in the phone interview that he’d received “a lot of interesting questions and calls” on the bill.

“There's a few people in Moore County that have really turned that bill into something that it's not, in their own opinions, but they're being pretty vocal about it,” Moss said.

Critics have pointed out that such a proposal would make it unrealistic for public entities to offer free chargers, because one is so much more expensive than the other.

“The cost of creating a 'free' gas and diesel provision is astronomically higher than the cost of installing an EV charging station, not to mention the environmental impact of such an installation, and the transport of the fuel on an ongoing basis,” O’Loughlin and Barnett said in their statement.

According to data from the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, installing an electric vehicle charging station costs anywhere between $1,000 and $10,000. Southern Pines replaced one of their chargers in 2019, which cost $5,800, Town Manager Reagan Parsons said.

Moss said that taxpayers, especially those who don’t drive an electric vehicle, shouldn’t subsidize free chargers for those who do.

“There is no reason hardworking taxpayers should be subsidizing energy costs for the owners of $100,000+ vehicles,” Moss said. “Until EVs are affordable for working families and made 100 percent in the USA, we need to do more to increase American energy production.”

Electric vehicle production will be coming to North Carolina in the next few years. The Vietnamese automotive manufacturer Vinfast announced earlier this spring it would build a new plant at a massive site about 30 miles north of Moore County and begin developing two models of electric vehicles in the next two or three years. Those vehicles are expected to cost between $45,000 and $60,000.

Also, Toyota Motor Co. is constructing a massive factory to produce batteries for its electric vehicles at a site in Randolph County. Both facilities are slated to receive tens of millions of dollars in economic incentives from the General Assembly if they meet their targets.

In addition, more than 40 EV models from other manufacturers are set to enter the market in the next couple of years.

Even if the charging station bill should pass the General Assembly, it faces a likely veto from Gov. Roy Cooper.