Over 800 New EV Chargers May Be Coming To Philadelphia

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A CleanTechnica reader wrote a comment on one of my articles about a small EV charger installation asking why bother writing about such a small development. Well, the answer is because every new public EV charger that is installed matters, and every installation is a success story. Every EV charger installed means, at some point, gas stations begin to shutter as fully electric vehicles replace gas and diesel vehicles. 

At the same time, there are large and medium-sized EV charger installations happening. This one in Philadelphia happens to be a big one. The City of Philadelphia stated recently it may install over 800 new public EV chargers, but a news source pegged the total at 1,000.

This is what the phila.gov website stated recently: “The program will help to create an electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure throughout the city. ChargePHL is a public-private partnership that will authorize two vendors to install a network of safe EV charging stations in convenient, accessible locations. Over the course of 10 years, the vendors will install over 800 charging stations.”

So, if the plan goes into action, there will be over 80 new public chargers installed every year for 10 years. The proposed EV charger installation plan still needs to be voted on and passed by the City Council in June to go forward.

“The launch of ChargePHL is an important step towards achieving a safer, cleaner, and greener Philadelphia. For the first time, the City of Philadelphia will be able to offer access to safe EV charging in all of our neighborhoods, many of which are currently being left behind. ChargePHL will benefit all Philadelphians by supporting EV uptake to achieve our public health and climate goals,” said Anna Kelly, Senior Policy Advisor for EV and Parking at OTIS.

Electric vehicles are better for the environment than gas, diesel, and hybrid vehicles. They are also better for reducing toxic air pollution. “60% of Philadelphia’s air pollution comes from motor vehicles. Last week, the City received another F grade for air pollution, which causes asthma and heart disease. The transition to electric vehicles is an important tool for improving the city’s air quality.”

The thing about the “little” public EV charger installations is they are often overlooked, and yet there are many such installations happening almost constantly, so they add up fairly quickly. If they are 15 “little ones” installed in two weeks the total could be over 100 new public chargers.