Philly has a new Electric Vehicle Task Force

Philly, meet your new Electric Vehicle Task Force.

The City of Philadelphia just released the list of members who make up the Electric Vehicle Task Force, a panel that “will guide future policy on electric vehicles in Philadelphia.” It includes 14 members, including city officials, transportation heads, and Philly residents who actually own electric cars.

Why now? The creation of the task force comes four months after City Council pulled the plug on its electric vehicle parking spots bill. In April, the council voted in favor of a moratorium that prevents the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) from issuing any new permits to electric car owners.

Task force member Councilman David Oh originally proposed the moratorium in the spring, arguing that the electric vehicle industry and infrastructure had changed significantly since the bill was initially passed 10 years ago, and thus it needed to be revisited.

“EVs are becoming progressively more common in Philadelphia, but increased EV use raises many complex questions,” said Michael Carroll, Deputy Managing Director for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems.

The members will be tasked with coming up with potential answers to those questions, which include how an old city like Philly can prepare for EV infrastructure (think both private and public car-charging access), as well as how electric vehicles can be encouraged without discouraging the use of public transportation, walking, and biking.

The task force has until early 2018 to put together its policy recommendations. It does plan to host sessions where the public can weigh in, but those dates haven’t been determined.

The moratorium on the bill expires next year, too.

• Philly passes moratorium on electric vehicle parking spots bill [Curbed Philly]