TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — New proposed legislation is making its way through the Arizona legislature that would protect drivers from additional electric bills.
Senate Bill 1501 aims to put a guard rail on the marketplace. It gives businesses the reassurance that they are not going to be undercut by major power companies.
Arizona is one of the first states in the country to seriously consider this type of legislation, but experts say there are similar bills in Oklahoma, Florida and Georgia.
Power companies are raising residents and business' power bills on a monthly basis in order to pay for their own charging stations.This discourages private investments in the EV charging space. According to Charge Ahead Partnership, there are many local retailers that want to get into EV charging but the power company at any point can jump in and change costs.
“If you don't have an electric vehicle. This bill protects you from having to pay for charging stations that you're never going to use. If you do have an electric vehicle, this bill creates an environment that's attractive to EV charging operators," said Ryan McKinnon, Charge Ahead Partnership.
EV experts say that nobody should be paying higher power bills when there are private businesses that want to invest and pay for the EV charging stations themselves.
This legislation push is for Level 3, DCFC stations. This allows you to take a road trip and not have to pull over for hours and hours on end. Whereas EV chargers you may see at some local spots take hours on end to charge up and even can take overnight.
“One of the biggest concerns for folks who have electric vehicles is range anxiety. They worry about running out of power when they're in the middle of a trip," said McKinnon. "Anyone who has an EV wants to see more EV chargers throughout Arizona, this opens the gates for that to happen.”
As of February 2023, Senate Bill 1501 is currently in committee in the Senate. It has already passed the Commerce Committee, and it is currently in Rules.
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Brooke Chau is a reporter for KGUN 9. She was a part of Fresno State's newscast, Fresno State Focus and interned at KFSN-ABC30 in Fresno, CA before coming to KGUN 9. Share your story ideas and important issues with Brooke by emailing brooke.chau@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
