Stowe energy committee chair urges passage of H.863 for charger reliability and a condo 'right to charge'

Catherine Crawley (identified herself in committee testimony as chair of the Stowe Energy Committee and a Stowe resident) testified in support of H.863 on Feb. 18, 2026, telling the House Transportation Committee that charging reliability, payment transparency and a 'right to charge' for multi‑unit housing are key to accelerating electric‑vehicle adoption.

Crawley said Vermonters spend more on transportation than nearly any other Northeast state because of rural driving patterns and argued that electric vehicles produce lower lifetime costs for many households. "With an EV, your dollar actually goes farther," she said, citing a recent Energy Action Network report that estimates $6,000 to $10,000 lower lifetime costs for many EVs compared with gasoline vehicles.

Why it matters: Crawley framed H.863 as addressing real barriers drivers face: unreliable public chargers, confusing or inaccessible payment apps, and condominium rules that prevent installing chargers where residents live.

Examples and provisions cited in testimony:

- Reliability and payment: Crawley described a multi‑hour episode where she had to reboot a charger via its service line. She backed H.863 provisions on EV charging accountability and pricing transparency that would, for example, allow credit‑card payment at chargers and provide clearer, real‑time status and pricing information.

- Local projects and grants: Crawley said Stowe worked with Stowe Electric to relocate a level‑3 fast charger from a brewery to a municipal lot and received a $19,000 Charge Vermont grant to move a decommissioned level‑2 charger to a municipal lot near Stowe Elementary School; she said the town used state grants and utility partnerships to expand charging access.

- Condo and multi‑unit barriers: Crawley described a friend who returned to gas because condo association rules prevented installing a charger, and urged the committee to support H.863’s right‑to‑charge provision to reduce those barriers.

Crawley also described local participation in technical assistance programs (National Charging Smart) and work with the Vermont Clean Cities Coalition to create an EV readiness and charging roadmap. Committee members asked about charger counts and grant programs; Crawley said she would follow up with specific charger counts for Stowe.

The committee did not vote on H.863 at the session; Crawley’s testimony was entered as public testimony supporting the bill and providing local examples of implementation and remaining barriers.