The idea of adding electric vehicle charging stations to its parking lot fits perfectly with the vision and mission of Duke Farms, the more than 2,500 acres of nature preserve located in the heart of Somerset County in Hillsborough.

Good for sustainability, good for nature, good for the Earth.

“One of our goals at Duke Farms is to be leaders of sustainability,” explained Jon Wager, the farm’s deputy executive director. “And one of the main things we’re looking at it at the farm is how we use energy — and how we can increase our use of sustainable energy.”

The charging stations not only are a plus for visitors with electronic vehicles, but they also have proven to be an incentive/inspiration to Duke Farms itself — as it recently purchased its first electric pickup truck and its first electric commercial lawnmowers, a significant investment for a farm of its size.

The chargers, however, have the potential to impact a far greater community than the 200,000 or so cars that come to the farm.

Since Duke Farms sits right off Route 206, its location makes it a perfect spot for the millions of cars that travel past its location each year. That made Duke Farms an ideal establishment to partner with Public Service Enterprise Group in its recently established, $166 million Electric Vehicle Charging Program, one that aims to help the state dramatically increase the number of charging stations available in next 5-7 years.

The program is how PSEG (and other utilities) and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities are looking to reduce range anxiety — or the reluctance of some to get an electric vehicle because of a fear that there will not be enough charging stations to support its use.

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