Edgartown’s energy committee aims to install electric vehicle chargers at the town’s park and ride lot. Edgartown energy committee chair Alan Strahler came before the select board Monday afternoon to pitch a warrant article meant to fund the chargers.
Strahler said voters will be asked to approve a $26,000 appropriation, half of which will be used to buy charging hardware while the other half will be used to cover costs associated with the chargers over a five-year period. Users will pay “about 22 cents per kilowatt-hour,” he said, and will do so via an app.
“In general, we want to provide support for town residents with EVs and hybrids for faster, accessible charging, and we want to encourage visitors to drive their electric vehicles to Edgartown,” he said.
Strahler also pointed out to the board the charging stations will elevate the town’s reputation on mitigating climate change by promoting zero-emission vehicles.
The board thanked Strahler for his presentation, and did not pose any questions.
In other business, the board held a moment of silence for longtime town administrator Peter Bettencourt, who recently passed away.
If users are paying for the electricity to charge their cars, what are the OTHER costs associated with the charging stations? Are you taking advantage of the State’s subsidies for the installation?
Purchase, installation, maintenance, insurance and replacement.
Why should anything on the Island be subsidized?
It is the playground of the rich and famous.
Of the $26,000 appropriation, $13,000 covers the purchase and installation. There is virtually no maintenance and they will last far longer than 5 years, so there is no need to set aside replacement costs. That leaves $13,000 for insurance on a $13,000 installation, which makes no sense. I was simply asking what the second $13,000 was for?
As far as the subsidy goes, the Commonwealth is subsidizing the Town for a portion of the installation cost, saving expenses for the Town’s taxpayers. The owners of electric vehicles, the users (the rich and famous?), pay the full amount for the electricity, so there’s no subsidy there.
The availability of charging stations promotes replacing gasoline powered vehicles with battery powered vehicles, improving the environment and climate for everyone’s benefit. Better still, take the all-electric buses and leave the cars off-island or at home. Now THAT’S a ‘playground’ I can live with!
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