A few weeks ago, North Carolina State Representative Ben Moss made headlines when he introduced a bill that would allocate $50,000 to eliminate free charging stations on public lands unless free gasoline and diesel pumps were also installed at that location.
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We haven’t even gotten into the details here, so let’s recap. There are free (probably level 2) charging stations on public land in North Carolina that might add a few miles per hour to an EV. They’re likely at parks, rest areas, and other places where people congregate with vehicles. Moss is so angry about this scenario, he’d rather destroy these stations with up to $50,000 than let some people charge their vehicles.
Let’s call this what it is, a way to get attention. Dozens of publications wrote about this incredibly stupid piece of legislation. Moss may get bashed by anyone who can put a few words into a sentence, but he will gain some new fans. These people will throw money at him to get re-elected, which is probably his real goal. Incite anger, get attention, raise money on the anger, repeat. That’s basically how politics works.
But beyond the sad political situation, these kinds of bills could pop up in other states, counties, and cities. The theme is, “it’s not fair for EV owners to get something for free on public lands while gasoline vehicle owners have to suffer at the pump.”
