The South Portland City Council has approved requirements to increase the number of charging locations for electric vehicles.

The Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure Ordinance, which goes into effect next week, requires new or fully reconstructed parking lots to include spaces to charge vehicles and prevent the need for costly retrofits later. 

“While those who own their homes and those with driveways will be able to charge at home, we need to ensure everyone has a means to charge conveniently," Cashel Stewart, the city’s sustainable transportation coordinator, said. "This ordinance is critical to establishing access and equity in the transition to EVs — for South Portland’s renter community, for those without driveways, and for visitors to our community.” 

The ordinance took into consideration practices from similar ordinances around the country, including from Portland and Boston, according to a news release from the city.

Other efforts to expand EV chargers are underway.  In 2021, the city established a grant for South Portland businesses to provide plug-in chargers for their customers and over the next 20 months the city plans to add 36 publicly available charging stations.

“EVs are becoming more mainstream and affordable with every year and are critical to meeting the City’s climate action goals,” Stewart said. 

Transportation is the largest polluting sector in Maine, and in South Portland it accounts for 32% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the city.

More details about the ordinance can be found here.