Toms river a case study on the absurdity of phil murphy's gas car ban

Toms River A Case Study on the Absurdity of Phil Murphy’s Gas Car Ban

by
August 29, 2023

Toms River, NJ – Toms River appears to be unprepared for Governor Phil Murphy’s ambitious mandate requiring all new cars to be electric by 2035. The town, home to approximately 100,000 residents, has only 28 commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, all of which are located at car dealers like Lester Glen, Pine Belt Nissan, and Pine Belt Cadillac.

This equates to just one commercial EV charging station for every 5,500 residents, a ratio that raises concerns about the town’s readiness to transition from gas-powered to electric vehicles. The situation is exacerbated by recent power grid problems and substation failures that have plagued Toms River, casting doubt on the infrastructure’s capability to support an influx of electric vehicles.

According to Chargehub.com, Toms River has 18 public charging station ports within a 15-km radius, 33% of which are Level 2 charging ports. Additionally, only 22% of these ports offer free charges for electric cars.

The township and taxpayers would have to make significant financial investments to accommodate Murphy’s 2035 gas powered car ban. Businesses would need to invest in charge stations, homeowners would have to install expensive garage charging stations. Townhome, apartment, and condominium operators would have to invest millions into infrastructure to accommodate the demand.

Worse, from recent news, JCP&L wouldn’t even be able to handle the demand after several substation failures, days-long power outages, and concerns over the overhealth of the electrical grid in the township.

The existing infrastructure lags in both quantity and diversity of charging options. Out of the 18 public charging station ports, six are Level 2 stations designed for longer charging periods, while the remaining 12 are Level 3 stations intended for rapid charging. The limited number of Level 2 stations may be an inconvenience for residents who lack the capability to charge vehicles at home.

Given these challenges, questions arise about the feasibility of implementing the state’s 2035 electric vehicle mandate in Toms River. Residents and local authorities will need to address infrastructure gaps, charging accessibility, and grid reliability to make the transition to electric vehicles successful.

In a town where it can take 5 to 10 years to a approve a project under the state’s CAFRA guidelines, there’s no way Toms River or any other coastal communities would ever be ready for the governor’s absurd EV dreams.

Phil Stilton
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Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

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