The automotive industry has reached a point where many of the best new cars are all-electric. However, drivers still have significant reasons not to buy one. Specifically, there remains an electric charger problem for those who don’t have one at home. Now, DC has voted in a new law that would add several thousand EV chargers over the next few years. 

DC has a solution for one of the most significant barriers between all-electric cars and buyers

The amount of all-electric chargers has dramatically increased in recent years. However, these changes may not be enough to support as many EVs as various entities hope. Now, according to WUSA 9, the District of Columbia has just approved a bill called “Right to Charge.” Essentially, it seeks to make public EV chargers much more accessible for residents. 

So, how does this new bill work, and will it persuade people to buy all-electric cars? Basically, it makes it so that the city adds more public electric chargers as the amount of registered EVs grows. It also seeks to make chargers a right for renters. Councilman Charles Allen says this bill will add thousands of new charges in just a few years. However, it should be noted that the current number of chargers around D.C. is proportional to the number of registered EVs. 

The Councilman had this to say, “We need people to go electric — and fast. his bill sends a clear signal that coming soon, there are going to be a lot of chargers available in places where people live, work and shop.”

Of course, for this bill to work, officials have to tally the number of all-electric cars and provide the proper funding for chargers that represent five percent of the vehicles. This bill also includes the Electric Vehicle Charging Incentive Program, which would create vouchers for landlords to build chargers. The Department of Energy and Environment will administer this part of the bill. 

Based on numbers from 2023, D.C. has about 8,100 all-electric cars and 1,057 charging stations for drivers. As mentioned, this number of chargers meets the new bill’s requirements. However, it’s important to note that the number of EVs was up by 37 percent compared to 2022, which shows the need for continued growth.