Category: Planned Sites

Volta Charging Supported by Advertising Signs

Downtown Columbia, Maryland is a hotbed of electric vehicle charging station growth. In February this year, 40 charging ports came online in the Merriweather District Garage near the Merriweather Post Pavilion concert venue.

Last month, 14 more charging ports were powered on at the Juniper Merriweather Apartments right next door.

The stations at the apartments may be there to satisfy the Howard County EV-Ready ordinance that became effective in January, 2019. That new law requires the developer to put in at least one EV charging station for each 25 living units for newly constructed multi-residential buildings. It looks like the developer is working toward LEED Gold certification so that may be a factor in placing a few extra charging ports beyond the EV-Ready requirement.

Just down the street from Merriweather, BGE installed six charging stations at the Howard County Library Central Branch. These utility-owned public charging stations are part of a five-year ratepayer-funded pilot program approved by the Public Service Commission in 2019. The Level 2 stations at the library cost $0.18/kWh. That price may change periodically in response to market conditions subject to review by regulators.

Locations by Nordstroms and the Cheesecake Factory

The Mall in Columbia is within a short walk of the library. Volta Charging has started construction on a series of free EV charging stations at different spots around the mall. According to a permit issued by Howard County on May 22nd, they are working on 14 new electric car charging stations. Among the areas marked for construction is in front of Nordstroms and by the Cheesecake Factory.

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Walmart on Guilford Drive

An Electrify America charging station is being built at the Walmart at 7400 Guilford Dr. in Frederick, MD. Construction is underway on the eastern side of the store at the edge of the parking lot. It appears that there will be four chargers situated on two islands. The charging dispensers are not yet on site.

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On Route 7 and Pimmet Drive Near I-66

Tesla is building a V3 Supercharger at Idylwood Plaza at 7501 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA. It is located on Route 7 just inside the Beltway close to I-66. Map link.

Idylwood Plaza has a Whole Foods, Starbucks, Jason’s Deli, Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken, Burger 7, Noodles & Company, and Tara Thai.

Falls Church, VA is among a number of Tesla Superchargers that are under construction in the Washington, DC area in the spring of 2020.

Falls Church, VA Supercharger to Have Eight Stalls up to 250 kW Max

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A BGE EVsmart public charging site is coming to the Glenwood Branch of the Howard County Library System and Gary J. Arthur Community Center. The utility owned and operated charging stations are installed, but not yet operational as of May 20, 2020. UPDATE: Chargers operational as of June 25, 2020 There are two DC Fast Chargers and six Level 2 ports in the north east corner of the main parking lot. [map link]

Liquid-Cooled Fast Chargers

The two 50 kW fast chargers are liquid-cooled Tritium Veefil TRI93-50-01-US models. This is a departure from the Efacec QC45 quick chargers used in earlier BGE installations such as Westminster and Ellicott City. Having multiple fast chargers at the Glenwood site should help bolster EV drivers’ confidence because they will know that if one fast charger is occupied or inoperable, they have an alternative fast charger to try.

Usage Fees Paid via Greenlots

The BGE fast chargers have a fee of $0.34 per kWh. The Level 2 charging costs $0.18 per kWh. Those fees are subject to change with the approval of the Maryland Public Service Commission which regulates the utilities. Payment is via a Greenlots account.

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A Tesla Supercharger is planned for a Sheetz store in Dahlgren, VA.

According to a King George County Building Official contacted by Mark Czajka of MD Volt, Inc., a permit application was submitted yesterday for the Sheetz at 17188 Owens Drive. This location is about 2 miles west of the Harry W. Nice Bridge over the Potomac. Link to Map

This Supercharger will be convenient for Tesla drivers that travel Route 301 through Charles County Maryland and into Virginia.

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DC Fast Chargers Coming Soon

High’s Ice Cream was a memorable part of my childhood growing up in Virginia. My grandmother would drive us to the local store and we’d sit on the Naugahyde covered stools and order a special treat. My favorite flavor was Butter Brickle.

Now, it seems the old ice cream stores that I remember are gone but the High’s brand lives on as a convenience store chain complete with banks of gasoline pumps. A new High’s store just opened in Jessup, Maryland that portends yet another new direction for the 92 year old company. 

Electron Filling Station

The Jessup store has DC fast chargers for filling electric cars with electrons. The two chargers are installed next to the automatic car wash across the parking lot from the row of gas pumps.

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DC Fast Charger Plus Four Level 2

A BGE EVsmart public charging site is coming to Ellicott City, Maryland. The utility owned and operated DC Fast Charger and four Level 2 ports are installed, but not yet operational. They were spotted by EV driver @splat who alerted @PlugInSites on Twitter. They’re located in the parking lot of the Miller Branch of the Howard County Library and 50+ Center at 9421 Frederick Rd.

Utility Owned & Operated

The 50 kW charger is an Efacec QC45 model, the same unit as the BGE quick charger in Westminster that opened in December. I hope this charger will be reliable and fixed quickly if it fails. The only backup on site are the adjacent Level 2 ports. There is no redundant fast charger.

I’ve testified before the Maryland Public Service Commission on reliability issues and other challenges that EV drivers face when depending on public charging infrastructure. See: To the Maryland Public Service Commission from an EV Driver. Hopefully utility ownership can help solve these issues.

Signs Required for ICEing Enforcement

Signage at this location will be crucial. Howard County has an anti-ICEing law that EV advocates worked to get passed in 2014. In order to be enforceable, the ordinance requires that appropriate signs must be posted. Appropriate signs means they must be at least 12 inches by 18 inches and meet any applicable state or federal standards for parking control signs.

The Electrify America chargers in Columbia, MD have the appropriate signs needed for enforcement by Howard County Police. We hope BGE does the same. See: Electrify America Posts Enforceable Signs in Columbia, MD.

Usage Fees per kWh

The BGE fast chargers have a fee of $0.34 per kWh as approved by regulators. Level 2 costs $0.18 per kWh. Those fees are subject to change with the approval of the PSC. EV drivers pay via a Greenlots account. Video.

More BGE Stations Planned

BGE plans to operate up to 500 public charging stations in their Maryland service area. About 20% of those may be fast chargers. The utility-operated charging stations must be located on property owned or controlled by state, county, or local governments per the terms of the PSC Order.

For more information about the BGE EV Smart program, see bge.com/electricvehicles.

Nine New Locations Added in Washington, DC Area

Tesla has updated the “Find Us” map on their website for the year 2020. All the “Coming Soon” locations with grey pins that had been labeled as “Target opening in 2019” now show “Target opening in 2020.” In addition, some new “Coming Soon” Supercharger locations have been added in the Washington, DC area. These include the locations listed below and indicated by green pins in the map above.

• Reston, VA
• Ashburn, VA
• Chantilly, VA
• Falls Church, VA
• King George, VA
• Millersville, MD
• Towson, MD
• Baltimore, MD – Canton
• Easton, MD

Tesla is careful to note that exact timing and specific locations may vary. In fact, many of the locations designated by gray pins on the map have had their target year of opening moved forward more than once. For example, Halethorpe, MD, Washington, DC and Tysons, VA go back at least to 2017.

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Mt. Airy, Maryland, a town located between Baltimore and Frederick, installed a Level 2 charging station in May, 2015. We reported on the ribbon cutting when the Mayor, who drives an EV, and other officials welcomed electric vehicle drivers to charge for free while visiting the quaint and historic Mt Airy Main Street.

Town Attractive for EV Tourism

The initiative to attract EV tourism must be successful because the town is ready to break ground to add four more charging stations. These will be 240v Tesla charging units. Two will go next to the existing universal J1772 connectors in the Municipal Parking Lot and two will be installed in Watkins Park.

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