Four charging stations for electric vehicles, courtesy of Electrify America, are to be installed in the 24-hour Lumber Lane parking lot, replacing six regular spots. The East Hampton Village Board agreed to the location last week.
The four had originally been earmarked for the so-called Tesla lot on Osborne Lane, but "the problem with the Osborne lot," Marcos Baladron, the village administrator, explained in a phone call, "was that we realized neighboring businesses wanted regular parking in that lot too. We told E.A. to hold off until we had a better location for them."
The spots will be in the northeast corner of the 24-hour lot, close to the walkway into Herrick Park, and will serve any type of electric vehicle, in contrast to Osborne Lane, where 12 spots charge Teslas only. "I like the location," said Mayor Jerry Larsen. "While the car is charging, people can walk into town."
Mr. Baladron agreed. "It makes sense, and gets it away from the neighbors at Pleasant Lane." (The spots are replacing an aging Chargepoint station in the long-term lot that was adjacent to Pleasant Lane.)
David Ganz, a village resident, spoke during the public comment period, saying "Tesla only accounts for 40 percent of the market share of electric vehicles. Electrify America is growing market share every year." He asked the board to consider taking away some of the Tesla charging spots and converting them instead to E.A. stations. "In 10 years, Tesla's only going to have a 10-percent share of the market," he predicted, "and contrary to some of the comments, I haven't seen many cars in there. I've seen one or two — I've never seen it packed."
"That's a good idea," the mayor agreed, but added that "I also heard that Tesla was eventually going to have those stations be able to do any car." Tesla has a 15-year lease on the property, with an option to extend it for an additional five years. The lease began in 2021.
"Why do they have the whole parking lot?" asked Carrie Doyle, a board member.
E.A.'s representative, Aldrich, didn't dwell on his company's lack of inclusion in the Osborne lot. "In the end, we want the station to have a nice presentable look, rather than dumping it into an area," he said.
Chris Minardi, the deputy mayor, wanted assurance that the new chargers would not present an electrocution hazard. "We have schools and parks nearby," he said. "You can't just stick your finger in one?"
Mr. Gomez assured him that that was not possible.
