TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Each day more people choose to go electric.
"One of the biggest barriers that we are seeing right now is there aren't enough charging stations to support the ramping up of electric vehicles and electric vehicle use," said City of Tucson Planning and Development Services Department, Daniel Bursuck.
Increasing charging access for electric vehicles has become a priority for the City of Tucson. They're considering an amendment to code that would require new multifamily, commercial and retail developments to install charging stations or reserve the ability to do so.
"Because it's a new development, whoever the developer is, they would have to pay to put in that infrastructure," said Bursuck.
Not everyone agrees the requirements should fall solely on the developers' shoulders.
"One of the concerns is the cost. Also, the availability of the materials to install the infrastructure, with all the labor and supply chain shortages we are experiencing right now," said Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce Director of Government Affairs, Alexa Scholl.
Scholl has represented developers at the city's planning meetings.
"We just want to make sure the requirements are matching the demand of EV vehicles in the City of Tucson and that the burden is shared across the board," said Scholl.
Mayor and council plan to vote on the code amendment this Summer.
"We hope that this would help to put Tucson on a future path to covert from conventional vehicles to electric vehicles," said Bursuck.
On Monday, May 23, the public is invited to attend a virtual meeting about the future of electric vehicle charging stations in the City of Tucson.
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Megan Meier is a reporter for KGUN 9. Megan graduated from Arizona State Universityʼs Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications in May 2018. While pursuing her degree in broadcast journalism, Megan interned at the City of Phoenix. Share your story ideas and important issues with Megan by emailing megan.meier@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
