Two bills, AB 846 and AB 847, could boost the building of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Wisconsin and appear to have widespread support from business and clean energy groups.
The measures would allow the state to begin using the nearly $80 million in federal money set aside for Wisconsin over the next five years to help service stations at big-box department stores and other private sector sites build Level 3, or so-called fast chargers, for EV.
At a legislative hearing Tuesday, an author of the measures, Rep. Nancy VanderMeer (R-Tomah) said one of the bills would clear up uncertainty in state law and spell out that private companies can collect a fee for charging an electric vehicle. VanderMeer says that should get more companies interested in having charging stations, and reduce range anxiety for EV drivers.
"I want to remind everyone. Yes, we have a growing number of electric vehicles in our state. It can be challenging for those vehicles to be charged. And there is consumer appetite for this," VanderMeer says.
The Wisconsin DOT says the number of registered electric vehicles in Wisconsin has zoomed from about 4,000 cars four years ago to more than 17,000 last year. That's still a very small percentage of the cars on state roads. However, the Biden Administration and some auto manufacturers are heavily promoting greater use of EVs and cutting the use of gas-powered cars to slow the growth of global warming.
Though some very conservative members of the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities said they don't like the idea of spending federal tax dollars on charging stations, business groups and companies say they support the measures.
Craig Summerfield of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce says one of the bills also makes it clear that local governments can't offer charging stations that compete with the private sector.
"So, in short, Wisconsin's business community is eager for an update to state law to allow them to enter this emerging market. At the same time, however, the investments made by private businesses to meet consumer demand should not be undercut by government-owned EV charging stations. Thankfully, Assembly Bill 846 addresses both of these concerns," Summerfield says.
Electric utilities and the clean energy group RENEW also spoke in favor of the measures. So did convenience store giant Kwik Trip, which is hoping for more consumer purchases inside their buildings, as EVs take several minutes to charge outside.
Editor’s note: A portion of the audio is from WisconsinEye.
