The Borough of Collingswood is installing a number of “fast chargers” for electric vehicles this month. The project, originally slated for completion this fall, is ahead of schedule and will be finished in May with chargers going live in June. The first Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) station will be located in the Atlantic Avenue public parking lot adjacent to the Collingswood Senior Community Center and can charge a fully electric vehicle to 80% in just 20 minutes to an hour. The stations are funded by grant programs including the New Jersey Clean Energy Electric Vehicle Tourism Grant, the It Pay$ to Plug in Program, and PSE&G.
Earlier this year the Borough went live with two Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) in the public parking garage at the Lumberyard, located at W. Collings and N. Atlantic Avenues. Level 2 equipment is common for home, workplace, and public charging. Level 2 chargers can charge a BEV (a battery-operated electric vehicle) from empty in 4-10 hours and a PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) from empty in 1-2 hours.
Installing EVCS's for public use helps to eliminate barriers to purchasing electric vehicles by investing in electric vehicle infrastructure and reducing range anxiety for residents. Expanding this electric vehicle infrastructure is critical to reaching New Jersey's goal of 330,000 EVs by 2025 and 100 percent clean energy by 2050. Encouraging the use of electric vehicles is also an important part of reducing transportation emissions which accounts for 46% of New Jersey’s net greenhouse gas emissions.