The ski area executives who were whining about the lack of EV chargers in NH in the April 13 Monitor should look in the mirror. The current system of buying fuel will have to change with electrification, nobody wants to hang around a convenience store for the hour for a DC Fast charge much less 4-10 hours for a Level 2 charge. Charging a car will take much longer than filling a car with gasoline so a convenience store will only have the space to refuel a fraction of the vehicles it can now. What you need is a large parking lot where vehicles will stay several hours, a hotel or yes a ski area.

Given that ski areas tend to attract the same sort of upscale customers who are likely to be early adopters of electric vehicles, catering to those people by installing charging stations is a no-brainer. This could take multiple forms, from DC chargers with valet parking to equipping whole lots with Level 1 chargers, and could be done in stages as EV use increases. Skiers will be naturally be attracted to areas with chargers on-site, and DC chargers could be a revenue stream off-season. The state of Vermont has installed Level 1 chargers on light poles at park-and-ride lots. This may benefit commuters but won’t attract tourists very well.

Present EV owners tend to own properties with garages and can install home chargers, perhaps with power from their own solar array. One huge hidden cost of electrification is chargers for ordinary people who live in apartment complexes without assigned parking, as the landlord may decline to install chargers everywhere. And who will install chargers for people who park on the street?

Roy Schweiker

Concord