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April 20, 2015 Q&A

State lawmakers pushing electric vehicle use

Q&A talks with State Rep. James Albis (D-East Haven), who is co-sponsoring legislation that would lay the groundwork for electric vehicle expansion in Connecticut.

Q: What does House Bill 7009 do for electric vehicles?

A: House Bill 7009 provides regulations and requirements for towns, businesses, electric contractors and distribution companies that will help prepare Connecticut for more electric vehicles to be on the road.

The bill will also require a change in state building codes to ensure that all newly-built homes and commercial buildings have electric circuits capable of supporting electric vehicle charging equipment.

To encourage more people to purchase electric vehicles, the state must ensure that it has the proper infrastructure in place to allow for more of these cars to be on the road.

The legislation also provides incentives for people to buy electric vehicles. Besides reducing their carbon footprint, electric vehicle owners can use high-occupancy vehicle lanes with no occupancy requirement.

The hope here is that by making sure Connecticut is ready for electric vehicles, and by offering perks for driving these cars, more people will be encouraged to go green and use electric vehicles.

Q: Why do electric vehicles need this type of support from the state?

A: Consumers want to know that driving an electric vehicle will be just as simple as driving any car they have ever owned. They want to know that there will be charging stations readily available so they do not find themselves stranded somewhere and that rates and cost of service will be effectively regulated by an agency the same way that gasoline and gas stations are regulated.

Q: What is the future for electric vehicles in Connecticut?

A: Electric vehicles will hopefully become as ubiquitous as the traditional gas-powered car most of us drive today. As we continue to build more charging stations and build up the infrastructure to support more of these cars being on the road, more people will purchase them, and help drive down costs.

Q: Do you drive an electric vehicle?

A: I do not drive an electric vehicle but I hope to own one soon. I am currently pursuing a master's degree, so buying a new car does not make a lot of financial sense for me right now and I know this is the case for a lot of other people of my generation. I am optimistic that in the near future when more people start buying electric cars and prices decline I will purchase one, as I expect many others will.

Q: What should businesses do to encourage more electric vehicle use?

A: I think that in the future, we will begin to see a lot more in the way of private-public partnerships in support of greener technologies. The state should be making it easier for businesses to do the right thing by way of the environment or their local community. I'd like to see us help businesses set up more charging stations in their parking lots.

Q: Could similar benefits eventually be extended to other alternative vehicles, such as fuel cell cars?

A: The type of incentives and infrastructure improvements this legislation implements could also be extended to apply to fuel cell cars. Just like electric vehicles, fuel cell cars need the proper fueling stations to make these cars a viable option for consumers.

Connecticut has already started to move in the direction of fuel cell cars. We have fuel cell energy production facilities in Danbury and Torrington. Some of Hartford's transit buses are hydrogen-powered as well. This bill does make mention of hydrogen fuel in regards to fuel station regulations, acknowledging that hydrogen fuel is beginning to break into the market as well.

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