Madison Eyes an EV Future
With federal stimulus and grant monies beginning to trickle down to states and towns, Madison is gearing up an electric vehicle (EV) program for both its town fleet and as an economic driver for area business. At the Board of Selectman (BOS) meeting last week, members discussed options for the town and how best to use funds.
The town currently does have one prototype charging station, but no electric vehicles in the town’s fleet. First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons said that climate change concerns along with federal and state incentives are the major drivers behind the board’s desire to expedite plan development.
“It is a bit of an unknown territory on how this will get launched on a grand scale, but it is completely displacing the market,” said Lyons. “But we see a big increase in the demand, but there is a recognition as to how we expand this service, and where the best places in town are to have these stations…The bigger priority should be for us, is setting an example for putting in infrastructure to serve our own needs as a municipality.”
One of the guiding voices in the process is Energy & Efficiency Commission Chair Woodie Weiss. Weiss and the commission presented some interesting data to the board concerning costs and infrastructure. Weiss said a station charging 25 cents per kilowatt hour, which is the standard local rate, would allow the town to break even on the electric fees, and promote downtown economics, as users would need to spend money while waiting to fill up.
Weiss said a prospective third-party collection company would handle all fees, transactions, and billing, charging a 10 percent fee, and making it easier for the town to operate the stations.
“We want this to be an attraction, not a distraction,” said Weiss. “We want this to be positively received. There are all kinds of ways to do this…I would probably encourage us to continue the loose working group to study this, until we figure out what directions we’re headed in. It seems to me there’s a lot of strategy to define, a lot of accommodating to what the grants will incentivize us to do, so I think we need a maximum amount of flexibility at this time.”
Madison has had a single, test electric charging station since 2017, which a grant from the state helped construct. The town has seen a steady increase in that station, especially since it is currently free of fees. The station is located in the parking lot behind Madison Cinemas.
However, under discussion is how to monetize that station and the others that are constructed. Weiss said the goal wouldn’t necessarily be to turn a profit by the charging fees, but rather the economic benefits it would create for businesses close to stations.
A normal charge now takes two- to four hours depending on the vehicle and type of station. That means drivers coming from I-95 or passing through Madison need to spend time somewhere while their vehicles charge, and this is the main thrust of why these stations are important, according to Weiss.
According to Weiss, Eversource will significantly rebate municipalities on charging station infrastructure costs.
The Town Fleet
The other issue Madison is facing in terms of EVs is the town’s vehicle fleet. EV technology is advancing quite quickly, that combined with deadlines and the crunch to submit applications for funding are so competitive, town leaders want to ensure they are not only securing funding, but purchasing equipment that won’t be obsolete in a year, according to Lyons and other board members.
“The reality is we have to take a different look at this now,” said Lyons. “More and more vehicles in our fleet are going to be EV ready. Right now you can’t get a heavy dump truck to function correctly running on an electric engine, but eventually trucks and the heavier vehicles are going to be coming and will be replaced. So, we want to be forward thinking and take advantage of the money coming out today, but also start making a plan for the future.”
The town commissioned an independent report on the state of the town’s vehicle fleet last year, focusing on recommendations for upgrades. The conclusions of that report are expected to be discussed at a March BOS meeting.
Selectman Bruce Wilson said the potential of the program, “is exciting” and stated it would behoove the town to “be out in front of it” in regard to a comprehensive EV program.
Lyons expressed her excitement as well.
“I think it’s really exciting. It is going to be a really big change for towns,” said Lyons. “It’s going to be a big change to industry, too, especially if it thing goes as rapidly as they’re trying to make it happen.”