The City of Hoboken was awarded a $150,000 grant from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to install two publicly accessible DC fast chargers. The new chargers will enable electric vehicle (EV) owners to fully charge their vehicle in under an hour. The two ChargePoint charging stations, which will be installed this summer on Newark Street between Grand Street and Adams Street, will further the City’s Climate Action Plan to be carbon neutral by 2050.
“Hoboken is continuing to lead in electrifying our transportation infrastructure, and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. “Providing residents with greater access to electric charging infrastructure will make it easier to own an electric vehicle, and reduce our dependency on fossil fuels consumed by traditional vehicles. Thank you to Governor Phil Murphy and the NJBPU for providing the City with this grant funding for the project.”
The new charging stations will supplement the City’s existing 24 level 2 charging ports located in municipal garages and on First Street between Washington Street and Hudson Street. Starting this year, the City will also begin to install 17 level 2 and eight DC fast chargers as provided through a partnership between the City and Volta.
Vehicle registration records show that there are currently over 1,600 electric or plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles registered to Hoboken residents, which is predicted to triple by 2025. That growth has led to increasing demand for EV infrastructure, including EV charging infrastructure, in the City.
Many residents do not have reliable access to electric vehicle charging options as most homes in Hoboken do not provide garages for charging, and on-street parking in front of a residence is not guaranteed. Through the City’s EV charging infrastructure upgrades, residents throughout the City will be within a 5-minute walk of a charging station by 2025.
Expanding the accessibility of electric vehicle charging infrastructure is a key initiative within the City's Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050. Since the first public charging stations were installed in 2021, there have been over 9,500 charging sessions, almost half of which have taken place at the City's only on-street charging station on First Street’ demonstrating the appeal and accessibility of curbside charging.
These Newark Street fast chargers are expected to come at no cost to the municipal budget as the project is funded by a $150,000 BPU EV Tourism Grant, a $136,279 American Rescue Plan appropriation, and over $72,000 in additional reimbursements.
