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Here’s something you don’t see every day

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Illinois

* An Illinois Republican state legislator sponsoring a bill that’s favorably featured in Mother Jones magazine…

Rolling up to a Tesla charging port, Illinois Republican state Sen. Dan McConchie grimaced that wheelchair users like him couldn’t use it—or any of the others at the gas station where he filmed his Instagram reel. They’d all been placed on a raised surface that he couldn’t readily reach. McConchie introduced a state bill to improve relevant accessibility standards, including electric car chargers. But it’s a national problem: Electric vehicle charging stations are often inaccessible, despite being designed and built decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act became law.

By April 2023, the Department of Energy reported, there were more than 140,000 public EV charging ports in the US, up from around 80,000 just three years earlier. The number of charging ports accessible to disabled drivers isn’t easy to pin down, an issue in itself; Department of Transportation data estimates that half of disabled adults under 65, some 10 million people, drive themselves around. By 2030, there will be more than 25 million electric vehicles on US roads, according to industry group Edison Electric Insitute. That includes a growing share of more affordable plug-in hybrids, driving even more demand for charging infrastructure. But for drivers with disabilities, inaccessible chargers make it a lot less appealing to switch: In a 2022 UK survey, though two-thirds of disabled drivers planned to go electric, most—more than 70 percent—said concerns about inaccessible infrastructure factored in. And in a society that considers EVs key to a more sustainable future, the spread of inaccessible chargers signals that disabled people have been left behind. […]

Coming up with more effective ways for disabled people to access EV chargers isn’t always straightforward. Many are on raised platforms in parking lots. Car-to-car differences mean accessible parking spots can’t necessarily become EV stations. Building more municipal chargers on sidewalks near pedestrian ramps could let wheelchair users plug in more easily. These chargers would also help clear sidewalks blocked by the long, hefty cords of household chargers used by some drivers without garages.

Sen. McConchie’s bill, SB3323, cleared committee and is on 3rd Reading in the Senate.

Click here for McConchie’s Instagram post.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 2, 24 @ 12:59 pm

Comments

Seems like a good bill–I’d think this would be covered by other accessibility legislation and the story mentions that, but I don’t see any issue with making it clearer or setting specific standards. Good on the Senator.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Apr 2, 24 @ 1:15 pm
Good bill idea, but man some of those comments on McConchie’s post are certainly something….

Comment by Buford Tuesday, Apr 2, 24 @ 2:06 pm
= Good on the Senator. =

Especially for lending his personal experience to the highlight the issue.

Comment by Dirty Red Tuesday, Apr 2, 24 @ 2:08 pm
=Building more municipal chargers on sidewalks near pedestrian ramps could let wheelchair users plug in more easily.=

Maybe. But unless the sidewalk is larger than average, it’s probably an ADA violation in itself to build on the sidewalk.

What is the purpose of the raised platform? Do the chargers need to be raised for electrical safety purposes? I imagine you don’t want a charger sitting in a puddle. Is it to keep cars from hitting the chargers?

Chargers have been around for a while now. This can’t be the first time this has come up.

Comment by Duck Duck Goose Tuesday, Apr 2, 24 @ 2:21 pm
As a wise person once told me: Some of us are disabled all the time, but all of us are disabled some of the time.

This is a good bill for everybody in Illinois.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Apr 2, 24 @ 2:28 pm