New Law Smooths Way for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in HOAs
Nov. 30, 2022 — State is trying to ease the transition to electrification of vehicles and buildings.
As a growing number of co-op and condo boards explore the pro's and con's of installing electrical vehicle charging stations on their properties, homeowners associations, which are prevalent on Long Island, will not be allowed to prevent installing the stations on private property under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The measure is meant to make it easier for homeowners to install the charging stations as New York seeks to transition to more renewable forms of energy and phase out gas-powered vehicles by the next decade, the State of Politics website reports.
"We are sparking New York's transition to clean transportation by removing barriers to owning and charging an electric vehicle," Hochul said. "It is not enough to encourage New Yorkers to buy electric — we must build green infrastructure that will drive New Yorkers to choose cleaner and greener modes of transportation. My administration will continue to advance our zero-emission transportation goals, and this legislation will benefit our climate and the health of our communities for generations to come."
New York is trying to reach the goal of 850,000 zero-emission vehicles within the next three years. All passenger vehicles sold in New York by 2035 must be zero emissions under a prior law approved by Hochul. But in order to reach that goal, major changes in infrastructure — including access to charging stations as well as how power is delivered to homes and businesses — must be put in place in only a matter of years. Among those changes is powering the electric grid with energy from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels, which will facilitate the electrification of everything from motor vehicles to buildings.
"In New York, we're setting bold goals for the adoption of electric vehicles. It's part of our strategy to reducing emissions as mandated by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act," said Assemblyman Harvey Epstein, who sponsored the measure with state Sen. Michelle Hinchey. "But to make the switch, we must ensure we have the charging infrastructure to match."