Seaside Heights Planning Electric Vehicle Charging Spaces

The entrance to Seaside Heights from the north. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Have an electric vehicle? If so, you’ll soon be able to charge it up while enjoying a walk on the boardwalk.

The introduction of electric vehicle charging spaces is not only something the borough has been planning for years, but a solution to what could have been a costly problem.

After Superstorm Sandy, the borough was forced to turn on its electrical peak shaving station before completing a laundry list of state-mandated tests. The state Department of Environmental Protection planned on fining the town, but instead will allow it to invest in vehicle charging stations instead.

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“We talked about wanting to do it a few years ago, but we didn’t have the money,” said Borough Administrator Christopher Vaz.

Vaz said bid specifications have been completed bid specifications and are planning to purchase three charging stations, which can service six vehicles at once.

“It will be located at the Grant Avenue parking lot,” said Vaz. “We already got a $20,000 grant for the project.”

The borough is also hoping to involve Tesla – a major electric vehicle manufacturer – in an extension to the project. The charging stations the borough is purchasing are generic charging stations, but officials are investigating a program under which Tesla leases space to provide its own vehicle-specific chargers.