The City of Somerville unveiled two new Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations last week, one in Union Square and the other in Davis Square. Plans are underway to install a third charging station very shortly in the vicinity of City Hall, in front of the high school.

EV owners are invited to park and power up their vehicles free of charge, up to three hours at a time.

While some have applauded the program as keeping in pace with the growing popularity of EVs, others question the move as being unfair to conventional vehicle drivers and an unnecessary expenditure of taxpayers’ money.

It is true that EV sales have increased significantly in recent years, mainly due to improvements in the technology as prices for the vehicle drop steadily. It stands to reason that EV owners’ needs for recharging must be met. The question, of course, is whether or not public monies should be used to offer these free charges, as well as free parking while the power-up are taking place.

Advocates point out that the costs associated with the program are relatively low, and help to provide incentives for people who are considering making the switch from conventional to electric powered vehicles, furthering the effort to lessen greenhouse gas effects.

Many of those in opposition feel that electric vehicle use is not sufficiently prevalent to justify the cost, and some go so far as to say that it never will be.

Whatever the argument, EVs are here now and more will be coming. The real question is, who should foot the bill?