State's Largest Electric Car Charging Facility Opens in Newark

Newark is now home to the state’s largest electric-car charging station, thanks to PSEG, which is trying to gauge interest in the clean-vehicle technology.

“This is a great example of ‘if you build it they will come.’ In just a few weeks since this program was announced, we have had nine people sign up for the program – and most of them have gone out and bought an electric car because of the program,” said Randy Mehrberg, the utility’s executive vice-president of strategy.  

A total of 13 electric-charging spots were opened this month at the company’s headquarters in Newark, with 11 set aside for employee-owned vehicles and two reserved for company cars. PSEG has also set up car-charging stations at its facilities in Edison and Salem, where there are two stations each.

Electric vehicles are considered by some to be a viable alternative, or at least a supplement to, traditional gasoline-powered autos. But so far, the infrastructure to support electric cars -- a technology championed by inventor Thomas Edison early this century -- is scattered. According to the US Department of Energy, there are more than 6,200 car-charging stations in the United States. 

By contrast, there were 168,000 gas stations in America as of 2004, the agency estimates, although that number fell gradually over the preceding decade from just over 200,000 stations.

PSEG employees have been offered an incentive to use the charging stations -- free parking and free charging through July 2016. Surveys reveal that many employees who are taking part were motivated to purchase electric cars by the prospect of free parking -- as well as the state and federal tax breaks for electric-car buyers -- and also the idea of doing something good for the environment. Carbon dioxide emitted by vehicles is a major contributor to climate change.

Although power generation, which provides the juice electric cars need, can also be a major source of CO2, New Jersey is more reliant on carbon-neutral sources of power than many other states.  About half of the electricity  flowing through the state’s grid is generated by nuclear power plants, which produce no carbon emissions.