With the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling back in 2022 limiting pollution restrictions, climate change prevention has been a top news story. Before COVID-19 kept many employees at home, 58.8% of Hoboken commuters and 47.3% of commuters in Jersey City used public transportation, one popular way to cut down on pollution. Despite these Hudson County numbers being the highest in the nation, 42% of greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey come from transportation. In response to this, back in July 2022, Hoboken announced it would be expanding its electric vehicle charging availability. Now, the City of Hoboken announced on July 24th, 2023 that it would continue to expand its availability with 25 new charging stations through a contract with Volta. Read on to discover why some residents choose electric vehicles (EVs) and how Hoboken and Jersey City are doing their part by installing more charging stations and adding EVs to their municipal fleets.
Updates to Electric Vehicle Charging in Hoboken as of July 2023
The City of Hoboken sent out a press release on July 25th, 2023 about EV-charging stations, stating that the City began installing the first eight of 25 new electric vehicle charging stations through a contract with Volta. The charging stations, including four level 2 chargers, and four DC fast chargers, will be located at ResilienCity Park, Monroe Arts Center, Columbus Park, and Southwest Resiliency Park. The charging stations are expected to be available for public use before the end of the year.
^ An illustrative rendering of future EV-charging stations at Southwest Resiliency Park, Photo Credit: City of Hoboken
These stations, combined with the existing 11 City-owned publicly accessible charging stations, will ensure that residents across the city are within a 5-minute walk of a public charging station by 2030. You can find more information about the City’s electric vehicle charging initiative here.
Updates to Electric Vehicles in Jersey City as of September 2023
Envoy Car-Sharing Service will be making its way to the Newport section of Jersey City. This will be the first-ever expansion set place in the state of New Jersey. Residents will be able to use exclusive car-sharing benefits such as discounted hourly or daily bookings and have access to Envoy’s dedicated Tesla fleet located on-site in the Newport area. This will be a private way of transportation, but a more sustainable option for residents to use. Two Teslas are also parked on-site in Newport and available for booking. Residents can book the cars through Envoy’s app.
Motivation to Purchase an EV
Helping the environment is a top reason residents choose to purchase or lease EVs. Hoboken resident Joe Bellofatto stumbled into the decision to buy an EV during the supply chain disruption in 2020 when he was unable to trade in his previous Hyundai vehicle for an upgraded model. He first decided to look for a hybrid car primarily to help reduce greenhouse gases and for cost savings.
Claire Edmondson, a Hoboken resident and early adopter of technology, was curious how Tesla vehicles drove. She also liked the environmental benefits, cost savings, and the fact that she could “order it over the app in three minutes versus spending four hours in a dealership.”
Joe’s search eventually led him to a Tesla dealership, where he decided to buy one based “on reputation.” He enjoys driving his Tesla and refers to it as a “very high-end smartphone with a steering wheel and four tires.” He doesn’t have a far commute, just to the waterfront, but even so, the weekly cost to charge the car in Hoboken or Jersey City is about $15 per week versus roughly $100+ for gas (which has only been going up recently).
In addition to saving on fuel, Joe received a $5,000 New Jersey State rebate incentive at the dealership upon purchase. (See other existing State and Federal Incentives to drive green.) He advises doing homework before purchasing, such as the cost of installing a charger at home, discovering the difference between a charger and a supercharger, and mapping out (super) charging stations when going on a trip.
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The Mechanics of Charging an EV
A Level 2 charging plug is standard in all EVs sold in North America, which makes the Level 2 public charging stations the most common in the U.S. These chargers can provide 12-80 miles of range per hour. Tesla has a J1772 adapter that allows it to use these charging posts, too.
However, Tesla Superchargers can provide up to 80% charge capacity in about 30 minutes. According to Claire, “I’ve driven from Hoboken to Richmond, VA, which took about seven to eight hours, with two stops at Superchargers along the way. No issues.”
Finding charging stations in Hoboken and Jersey City hasn’t been a problem for either Joe or Claire. They each use the supercharging station at the Newport Center Mall in Jersey City as their primary charging station, but they agreed that more charging sites are welcome. The Newport Mall also has Blink, Chargepoint, and EVgo charging stations for other EVs. Keep in mind some garages charge a parking fee to fuel an EV.
Charging Sites in Hoboken + Jersey City
Both Hoboken and Jersey City have options for charging electric vehicles — and this will only be expanding now that the City of Hoboken has announced an initiative to install more charging ports. In 2022, a Nixle alert announced that there would now be six new level 2 dual-port charging stations. These additions expanded the total number of publicly accessible ports from 10 to 22 across the City.
“Expanding our electric vehicle infrastructure and providing incentives for charging is one more way we’re making it easier for residents to own and operate an electric vehicle in Hoboken, which is especially important with gas prices at an all-time high,” said Mayor Bhalla.
Hoboken also launched its new six-month Green Pass pilot program in 2022 to encourage the use of these charging stations + help make charging electric vehicles more affordable.
The new program enables residents to park registered electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles at a reduced rate while charging a vehicle in Garage B at 28 Second Street, Garage D at 215 Hudson Street, and the Midtown Garage at 371 Fourth Street. The cost for Green Pass holders is $6 for up to eight hours of parking while charging their vehicle. You need a valid Hoboken Resident On-Street Parking Permit and a registered electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in order to qualify for a Green Pass. You can register for the Green Pass program here.
To learn more about charging stations in Hoboken, click here.
See More: How a Car Was Named After the Town of Montclair
Where to Charge Your Electric Vehicle
Garage B | 28 Second Street, Hoboken
6 Level 2 charging ports
Price: $1/hour while charging, $3/hour while idling + prevailing garage parking rate
24-hour public access
DT&P Garage D ST1 | 215 Hudson Street, Hoboken
6 Level 2 charging ports, J1772, 6.5 kW Shared
Price: $1/hour while charging, $3/hour while idling + prevailing garage parking rate
24-hour public access
DT&P | 68 1st Street, Hoboken
2 Level 2 charging ports, J1772, 6.5 kW
Price: $1/hour while charging, $3/hour while idling + prevailing meter parking rate (2 hour limit)
24-hour public access
Midtown Garage | 371 Fourth Street, Hoboken
6 Level 2 charging ports
Price: $1/hour while charging, $3/hour while idling + prevailing garage parking rate
24-hour public access
Lot 3 | 1301 Jefferson Street Surface Lot, Hoboken
2 Level 2 charging ports
Price: $1/hour while charging, $3/hour while idling + prevailing surface lot parking rate
GREENSPOT EV | 148-160 1st Street, Jersey City
9 Level 2 charping ports, J1772, 6.6 kW, and 1 DC Fast, Combo, 24.0 kW
Price: $5.28 (estimate) for 2 hours; price varies over time
24-hour public access
EVgo Charging Station | 30 Newport Parkway, Jersey City
2 50 kW DC Fast Chargers with CHAdeMO and CCS combo connectors
Jersey City Fulton Avenue Lots 1 + 2 | 207 Fulton Avenue, Jersey City
4 Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Price: Estimated $3.20
Open 24 hours
EV Station 1 + 2 | 570 Washington Boulevard, Jersey City
4 Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Price: Estimated $2.00 for 2 hours
Open 24 hours
Jersey City Annex Kearney | 1 Jackson Square, Jersey City
2 Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Price: Estimated $3.20
Open 24 hours
Jersey City Berry Lane Park L2 | 1017 Garfield Avenue, Jersey City
2 Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Price: Estimated $3.20
Open 24 hours
Hudson County Skyway GC PS1 | 515 Duncan Avenue, Jersey City
2 Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Price: Free
Open 24 hours
Jersey City Enos Jones Park | 387 8th Street, Jersey City
2 Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Price: Estimated $3.20 for 2 hours
Open 24 hours
Hamilton Greenspot | 255 Brunswick Street, Jersey City
4 Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Price: Estimated $4.62 for 2 hours
Open 24 hours
Jersey City Montgomery | 281 Marin Boulevard, Jersey City
4 Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Price: Estimated $3.20
Open 24 hours
You can locate charging stations here.
