Princeton officials unveiled eight new electric vehicle charging ports in the parking lot at the Witherspoon Hall municipal building at 400 Witherspoon St. with a snip of the scissors March 3.
Mayor Mark Freda cut the blue ribbon with a pair of oversized blue scissors as the Princeton Council, municipal staff and Sustainable Princeton representatives watched.
“This sends a signal that it is not just talk,” Freda said.
Princeton Councilman David Cohen agreed. He said that installing the new municipally-owned public chargers is one of many steps that the town is taking to address climate change and to build its EV (electric vehicle) infrastructure.
Cohen said he hopes the new charging stations will encourage more residents to switch from gasoline engine vehicles to electric vehicles. People who cannot charge their vehicles at home can use the charging stations in the municipal parking lot, he said.
“Many lower-income Princeton residents live in rental housing and may not be able to afford or get permission to install a charger at their home. The public chargers give them access to many of the benefits of owning an electric vehicle,” Cohen said.
The eight charging stations will be available to the public around the clock, officials said. The rate is $2 per hour for daytime charging. The rate for overnight charging – between midnight and 8 a.m. – is charged at a maximum of $1 per hour.
The eight municipally-owned EV chargers are in addition to the two municipally-owned chargers in the Spring Street parking garage, officials said. The new chargers bring the number of municipally-owned public charging stations to 10 stations.
Public charging stations are available at the Princeton Shopping Center on North Harrison Street and at the Palmer Square Chambers Street parking garage on Chambers Street. There are two EV charging ports apiece at the shopping center and the parking garage.
Overall, there are 14 public EV charging stations in Princeton.