Passaic County officials are seeking $1M grant for EV charging stations
As electric vehicles become more popular, Passaic County officials have their sights on developing dozens of new electric vehicle charging stations over the next several years.
Weasel Brook Park in Clifton, Dundee Island in Passaic and Camp Hope in West Milford are among the countycontrolled locations eyed for expansion, said Kenneth Simpson, supervisor of the Passaic County Roads Division.
The speed at which those charging stations can be built, however, is highly dependent on the federal government. County officials are seeking more than $1 million for charging stations and their infrastructure from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s fiscal year 2024 Community Development Block Grant program.
“We’re planning for 48 stations with the million-dollar grant we requested,” Simpson said.
The county government’s network currently consists of 21 charging stations.
Eight are public, including the three dual charging stations spanning six parking spaces outside of the Passaic County Arts Center in Hawthorne. That site, which provides 240V, level two charging, cost about $62,000 to build, county records show. The county saved $30,500 through grants from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and PSE&G.
The government department and energy company typically provide $4,000 and $7,500 per station, respectively, via separate grant programs, Simpson said.
Publicly accessible, the Hawthorne charging stations cost 50 cents per hour to use through the ChargePoint app. The charge for using a station while fully charged is $5 an hour.
County officials are currently expanding stations for their fleet at the new Department of Public Works depot in Wayne, where nine parking spaces are being outfitted with electric charging connectivity for a cost of $104,000, Simpson said.
The county currently has seven plug-in hybrid vehicles, which rely mostly on electric power. There are plans to purchase 10 more over the next three years and make 10% of the county fleet hybrid or electric by 2030, Simpson said.
More charging reserved for county employees is now being installed at the Passaic County Administration Building in Paterson in a $62,000 project, records show. A project to install a dual charging station at Preakness Healthcare Center in Wayne is pending, Simpson said.
Other potential county charging station locations include the new affordable housing development on Ringwood Avenue in Pompton Lakes and four locations in Paterson: Lambert Castle, the boat house on Garret Mountain, the public garage on Grand Street and the county’s procurement center on River Street.
County officials started their electrified vehicle initiative in 2020. Simpson said it is designed to improve the county government’s energy efficiency and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.