Apparently, electric vehicles (EVs) are now the hot ticket for tourists coming to New Hampshire, as the state could lose $1.4 billion by 2031 if it fails to install more EV chargers.
If there are any advantages or disadvantages of having an EV, I have no idea what they are, but all I know is that $1.4 billion could get me a lot of Cybertrucks.
According to data from the state, it makes over $7 billion a year in tourism revenue, so losing this amount of money could produce some problems, especially since it could generate $43 million in tax revenue, plus a potential loss of up to 9,000 jobs.
Coming from Meredith, N.H., a somewhat popular tourist destination in the state, it would feel strangely empty if there was suddenly a lack of tourists in town for the summer. I know a lot of people who have summer jobs that depend on tourism, not just in my hometown, and losing that job because people could not charge their cars would not be a good way to go.
Vermont and Maine have more of these chargers than N.H. does, giving them the advantage of attracting people with EVs more than N.H. can.
According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, 9,861 EVs are registered in the state of N.H. while Vermont has 7,816 and Maine has 7,377. This raises the question of why N.H. has fewer charging stations even though they have more vehicles registered.
Of course, because tourists are the people with electric vehicles and N.H. made $2.43 billion in the summer of 2024 alone, according to TravelStats, it seems crucial to install more charging stations, at least in the more popular towns and cities the state has to offer.
This is not easy to do, though, nor is the cost small. According to ProMatcher, a level two charger would cost about $1,300 to $1,400 in N.H.
Back in January, the state received $15 million to fund EV charging infrastructure, but Trump quickly pulled the plug on funding after his presidency started, leaving me wondering how much N.H. will lose before the funding is rightfully reinstated.
The state can only hope for these funds, or it will have to resort to more permanent solutions than state funding, such as private partnerships and collaborations with utility companies, according to WMUR.
Really, it is possible to get more chargers installed, but I do not know what the next step is other than to pursue these more private funds. Who knows? With Musk being the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, maybe Trump will try to get Musk’s Cybertrucks more chargers.
Hayley Doda can be contacted at
hayley@kscequinox.com
