(HorizonPost.com) – Washington, D.C. is to install 7,500 new electric car chargers. Councilman Charles Allen (D) has introduced legislation that would add more than 7,000 charging stations to the city’s current tally of 250. Only around 5,000 of the capital’s residents currently own an electric car but the plans are aimed at increasing this significantly by 2040. Officials want 90% of the city’s cars to be electricity-run by that time.
Members of the public have reportedly cited concerns about how they would charge their cars as a reason they are reluctant to move away from gasoline. Allen says this must be addressed now and charging stations must become as commonplace as gas stations if people are to feel secure enough to invest in the expensive vehicles. Research shows that the average cost of an electric car in the US is around $66,000.
The Comprehensive Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Access, Readiness, and Sustainability Amendment Act of 2023 will also give residents the right to install their own chargers and will make funding available for this.
The D.C. city council has been at the forefront of the normalization of electric cars for the past few years. In 2020, it passed legislation stating that at least 20% of parking spots in new or renovated buildings must have the infrastructure to accommodate charging stations. The council has spent less time however on the rising crime rates in the city, including car theft.
As 2023 got underway, so did crime in the nation’s capital. In the first eight days of the year, car theft was up 113% compared to 2022. In the same period, robbery was up 57% and burglary, theft, and arson had risen by 42%. Last summer, House Republicans said that the crime crisis in the capital may need Congressional intervention as it is not being addressed by local leaders. “All Americans should feel safe in their capital city, but radical left-wing policies have enabled rampant crime in the District of Columbia,” said Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer.
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