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VIDEO: Hickenlooper’s First Bill to Become Law, The RECHARGE Act, Accelerates the Transition to Electric Vehicles

Nov 10, 2021

Washington, D.C. – With the House passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper’s RECHARGE Act becomes his first bill in Congress set to become law. The Responsibly and Equitably Change How Auto-charging Rates Get Evaluated (RECHARGE) Act makes it more affordable to drive an electric vehicle (EV) by having states review utility rates for EV charging.

“To fight climate change, we’ve got to transition to electric vehicles,” said Hickenlooper. “The RECHARGE Act makes it cheaper to drive an EV, and we’re overjoyed that it will be our first bill to become law!” 

In a new video, Hickenlooper takes an EV for a spin to explain how the bill will save drivers money and jumpstart our transition to clean transportation.

Watch HERE or below: 

In many states, EV charging stations are currently treated like factories that put a large, constant strain on the power grid, which can lead to artificially high prices for EV owners. The RECHARGE Act would facilitate voluntary solutions at the state level by asking states to consider rate designs that: 

  • Promote affordable and equitable EV charging 
  • Improve customer experience including through faster EV charging for all vehicles
  • Accelerate investment in EV charging stations
  • Appropriately recover marginal costs

The bill is supported by Electrify America, SemaConnect, Advanced Energy Economy, the Environmental Defense Fund, the League of Conservation Voters, U.S. PIRG, Colorado PIRG, Environment America, Environment Colorado, the National Association of Convenience Stores, the National Association of Truck Stop Owners, and Fluid Truck.

The RECHARGE Act is included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which Hickenlooper helped write as part of a bipartisan group of 22 senators.

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