This charge in Montauk won't cost users much of their money or time

Twelve new quick-charging electric vehicle stations in Montauk will make it easier to drive an electric car to the end of Route 27 this summer.

The charging stations are at an East Hampton Town-owned lot on South Euclid Avenue, across from the post office.

Electrify America, a Volkswagen subsidiary that has earmarked $2 billion for investing in the national electric vehicle charging grid as part of a 2016 diesel emissions lawsuit settlement, and Tesla installed the stations at no cost to the town.

Promoting electric vehicle use helps East Hampton Town work toward its goal of meeting the equivalent of the community’s energy consumption with renewable sources by 2030, said East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc. The town in 2019 issued a call for proposals to build charging stations on town land at no cost to taxpayers.

"We have also worked toward meeting these progressive energy goals by promoting the use of wind and solar energy, including adding solar panels to town buildings and promoting residential solar installations through our Solarize East Hampton program, and by instituting a host of energy efficiency initiatives," Van Scoyoc said in a news release.

Four of the stations are ultra-fast Electrify America stations compatible with most electronic vehicle models. The remaining eight are Tesla superchargers and are only compatible with Tesla vehicles.

Users are responsible for paying for their electricity, typically a few cents per each kilowatt-hour.

A supercharger can add up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes, according to Tesla’s website. The nearest supercharger to Montauk is in Water Mill, about 25 miles to the west.

The speed of the Electrify America chargers depends on the vehicle’s capabilities, according to Electrify America. The fastest chargers can add 20 miles of range every minute.

The spaces that host the charging stations are open for general parking when not in use by an electric vehicle, and the posted time limitations remain in effect, according to the town.

The new spaces add to an existing network of electric vehicle stations on town land that include six chargers at Town Hall in East Hampton and four on a municipal lot in Amagansett.

Long Island has fewer public chargers than other areas in the state, one of the key barriers to increasing electric vehicle ownership, according to a 2019 report from the nonprofit Drive Electric Long Island Coalition.

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.