Although the city of Boerne houses 11 EV charging stations, including stations at the Sonic Drivein on Bandera and The Bevy Hotel on Herff Road, plans to build additional charging stations are on pause. Chris Shadrock, director of communications for the city of Boerne, stated that while there are plans to develop charging stations at the Boerne Visitors Center, nationwide supply chain issues have affected their schedule significantly. However, with a recently delivered transformer, Boerne is finalizing the purchase of a charger and other necessary equipment to provide charging for two electric vehicles. A firmer timeline will be provided when the remaining equip-ment is delivered.
Boerne ISD, however, does not have any plans in place to construct any EV charging stations, according to Bryan Benway, district director of communications.
Still, two local dealerships in Boerne have seen enough electric car sales to keep pushing them out — Toyota of Boerne and Mercedes-Benz of Boerne.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the state of Texas touts one of the highest amounts of charging stations, largely due to the proximity of Tesla factories, but also because of existing state incentives.
One such incentive is the exemption from state motor vehicle emissions inspections and reduced maintenance fees. Without a gasoline engine, EV owners won’t require regular oil changes or need to have spark plugs on hand.
Additionally, the Air-Check Texas Drive a Clean Machine Program provides vehicle replacement assistant for qualified individuals, in the amount of $3,500 toward the purchase of a hybrid electric, battery electric or a natural gas vehicle.
There are also the obvious benefits of assisting the environment by reducing air pollution and giving your wallet a break from paying high gas prices. While many factors affect the price of gas — war, consumer demand, weather — electricity is rarely impacted.
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