With consumer demand for electric vehicles on the rise, developers of a West Windsor, New Jersey, apartment complex revised their project plans, adding even more EV charging stations. Installing additional EV chargers to the project – with construction already underway – posed challenges for the builder and its utility. PSE&G was there to offer a creative solution to meet the developer’s needs.
“We are all very pleased with PSE&G’s efforts, and most especially with the extensive gas and electric relocation/realignment work on Farber Road that was required for completion,” said Howard Irwin, Woodmont’s executive vice president of construction.
Construction at Woodmont Way, a 443-unit apartment complex, began in 2019. The original plans called for just one electric vehicle charger but, as the project progressed, consumer demand for EVs was on the rise. To accommodate the growing number of residents driving EVs, Woodmont developers expanded the number of chargers to 10, according to Anthony Sarcone, Woodmont Property senior project manager.
Earlier this year, the developer asked PSE&G to support expanded EV charging capacity at the new complex. The expansion would require single-phase power, the type typically used in residential areas, while the project is located in a predominately three-phase power area – meaning that costly equipment upgrades, such as new transformers, would be needed to power the new charging station, Sarcone said.
PSE&G electrical engineers developed a solution that allowed Woodmont to tap into a nearby single-phase power source, a move that reduced the cost of powering the charging stations, which are expected to open in the spring.
For years, PSE&G has been preparing for the transition to electrified transportation by piloting EV charging programs that, in addition to promoting environmental benefits, provide insights into the new demands EV charging are expected to place on the electric grid. The number of EVs in PSE&G’s service territory is expected to grow 20-fold to more than 500,000 by 2030.
In January, regulators approved PSE&G’s $166 million investment to promote the development of EV charging infrastructure across our electric service territory. The program, which offers incentives for the installation of chargers, is designed to help ease “range anxiety” – the fear that there aren’t enough convenient charging locations to ensure EV motorists won’t run out of power during a long trip – and help accelerate the widespread adoption of EVs.
For more information on how PSE&G is helping New Jersey switch to EVs, go to: www.pseg.com/ev.
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