Louisiana Adapts Law to Include EV Charging Stations
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Louisiana has a new law that enables the state to regulate fueling stations for charging electric vehicles.
Act No. 293 was signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards on June 12 to enact House Bill 60 that was sponsored by Michael Echols (R) during the 2023 regular session of the state Legislature.
The new law added language about electricity disbursements and EV supply equipment to fuel EVs to existing state statute for refueling weighing and measuring devices.
Previous state law did not mention devices used to meter or measure electricity in fueling stations, which needed to be rectified to reflect the current advance of alternative vehicles.
The law also designates the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry to have regulatory authority over EV charging (fueling) stations. The agency notes that it administers and enforces regulations “that impact every aspect of the state’s agriculture and forestry.”
Louisiana is positioning itself to receive $73 million within the next few years for its Department of Transportation and Development to deploy EV charging infrastructure throughout the state.
The state has developed a plan to phase in EV supply equipment complying with Federal Highway Administration standards for direct current fast chargers (with a minimum 600-kilowatt electric capacity) that are spaced at least 50 miles apart and within one mile of an interstate exit or highway intersections along the alternative fuel corridors.
The Louisiana State Plan for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment, developed last year, intends to prioritize constructing an EV charging network along its 943 miles of interstates due to the importance of truck freight movement even though the federal grants to the states for EV charging infrastructure is intended for passenger vehicles, which have much lower battery needs (in kilowatts) compared to heavy trucks that need megawatts for greater power demands.
The state is encouraging EV charging stations “to include pull-through spots [that] may contribute to supporting freight transportation” by heavy truck EVs.
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