NC Reps Want to Scrap EV Charging Stations

pcmag.com:

North Carolina's baffling Equitable Free Vehicle Fuel Stations bill is stirring up controversy again.

The bill, which is tracked as H.B. 1049(Opens in a new window), includes a number of provisions intended to discourage the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations throughout the Tar Heel State. It was introduced on May 26, but a recent tweet from co-sponsor Rep. Ben Moss (R-NC) has resulted in renewed scrutiny of the EV-hostile proposal.

The most-criticized aspect of H.B. 1049 is the allocation of up to $50,000 for "the purpose of removing any electric vehicle charging stations that do not comply with the provisions of this act." While the White House is working to(Opens in a new window) encourage the construction of EV infrastructure, this bill's sponsors are looking to destroy it.

But the bill doesn't simply disallow EV charging stations in North Carolina. Instead, it requires both public and private locations where EV charging is offered to provide "gasoline or diesel fuel for motor vehicles through a pump to the public at no charge," so other drivers can make use of those stations as well.

It's worth noting the so-called Equitable Free Vehicle Fuel Stations bill doesn't have a provision that works the other way around—presumably because nobody wants to provide free gasoline or diesel fuel—and wouldn't require gas station owners to put in paid EV charging stations. It specifically targets EV charging stations.

The bill also requires businesses to "ensure that each customer of the business, without regard to whether the customer uses the charging stations, is informed of, on the receipt for purchases, the percentage of the amount of the customer's total purchase price that is a result of the business