EnviroSpark executives advise Georgia legislature on EV charging laws, regulation

EnviroSpark Energy Solutions co-founders provide testimony to lawmakers ahead of the 2023 legislative session

ATLANTA, Nov. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In testimony before the Georgia Joint Study Committee on the Electrification of Transportation, electric vehicle (EV) charging company EnviroSpark urged state lawmakers to consider the long-range impact on business growth for any regulatory changes. Company founders, Aaron Luque and Stephanie Luque, also provided counsel on how to position Georgia as a leading state in EV innovation.

Georgia is already known as the heart of the Southeastern "Battery Belt," with significant investments from EV maker Rivian near Atlanta, SK Battery America in Commerce and Hyundai Motors outside Savannah. EnviroSpark provided legislative testimony as the only Georgia-based EV startup to appear before lawmakers.

Founder and CEO Aaron Luque presented to lawmakers a holistic view of how EV charging stations move from initial concept to first charge and beyond.

Mr. Luque told the Joint Study Committee that while every project is unique, even the largest corporations and smallest businesses frequently share the same concerns when deciding where and how to install EV charging stations.

"What's really interesting in having worked with the largest electric vehicle manufacturers and utilities in the country, all the way down to the rural EMCs and local municipal governments, small businesses and large chains — and everyone in between — is that while needs are nuanced from customer to customer, we do hear the same questions," said Mr. Luque.

Because of the overlapping concerns, Mr. Luque testified that changes to Georgia's current EV installation laws could have an immediate impact on business growth.

Co-founder and Chief Government Affairs Officer Stephanie Luque added that the site selection of EV charging stations can have a broad impact on the economy.

"We know that EV charging stations drive business, revenue and tourism to these site hosts, so specifically with the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, it's important to ensure that Georgia's economic development goals are aligned with how these sites are selected," Mrs. Luque said at the hearing. She urged lawmakers to consider policy guidance that ensures locally-owned small businesses in rural areas are not left out of this historic infrastructure opportunity.

The NEVI Formula Program requires that EV charging stations be non-proprietary and allow for open-access payment methods, be publicly available or available to authorized commercial motor vehicles. Additionally, the NEVI program requires funds to be invested within one travel mile of designated EV corridors, with charging stations no more than 50 miles apart.

Mrs. Luque urged lawmakers to exceed the federal minimum requirements, when possible, to future-proof Georgia's investment in its EV infrastructure.

"A policy consideration here is that while we're aware of the NEVI minimum requirements of one site every 50 miles within one mile of the interstate, there is an opportunity to consider exceeding those minimum requirements along hurricane evacuation routes," she told Georgia lawmakers. "We should also take into consideration potential supply chain issues and plan now so we are not trying to add stations down the road while dealing with increased demand between other states."

Mr. Luque also urged legislators to look for ways to standardize permitting requirements for the installation of EV charging stations. Improved standardization could propel Georgia ahead of other states in the growth of its EV infrastructure.

"I think it's important to consider standardizing some of these permit and licensing requirements needed to install EV chargers," Mr. Luque said. "I had to learn every single trade. I learned carpentry. I learned roofing framework. I learned the ADA code to build a residential house. This was all done just to get the general contracting license to pull a permit to pour a concrete pad."

But Luque believes that while construction requirements need to be standardized, there should also be minimum requirements to install EV charging stations.

"I joke about this, but it's basically true -- I turned in a charging station design for one jurisdiction on the back of an Applebee's napkin and they accepted it," Mr. Luque said as a warning to lawmakers. "So, you don't want to go too far the other way."

EnviroSpark was recently awarded a federal government contract to design and install EV charging stations at locations run by federal agencies throughout the Southeast region of the United States. The $500 million budget for the project comes from General Services Administration (GSA) as part of a larger nationwide effort to expand EV infrastructure.

EnviroSpark was not only the top-ranked small business vendor in the region, which includes 13 states and Puerto Rico, but was also the only selected vendor that received an overall technical ranking of "excellent."

The experience gained since opening for business in 2014, including the recent GSA selection, provided the basis for Mr. and Mrs. Luque's testimony.

"Our primary objective has always been to promote EV adoption by making charging more accessible," said EnviroSpark co-founder and CEO Aaron Luque. "We're really excited to be a resource, to get engaged in the conversation and be helpful in tackling some of these challenges that we face as a state with regards to electrification."

EnviroSpark is a values-driven company and is dedicated to expanding EV accessibility and increasing adoption nationwide by building reliable, fast-charge stations in convenient locations.

To date, EnviroSpark has been responsible for the design, provision and construction of more than 5,800 EV charging stations across North America.

Founded in 2014, EnviroSpark is an industry leader in the turnkey design, installation and operation of EV charging solutions. The company was founded with two missions: to raise awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles and to increase the availability of EV charging infrastructure. The company is responsible for the installation of more than 5,800 charging stations to date. EnviroSpark addresses the pain points of property owners and drivers from coast-to-coast by enhancing EV accessibility in a customer-friendly way.

SOURCE EnviroSpark