Category: Legislation

Idea to Help Local Businesses During Pandemic

A member of the Greenbelt, Maryland City Council proposed to waive the fee to use the DC Fast Charger by the Municipal Building in the Roosevelt Center at 25 Crescent Rd.

Mayor Pro Tem Emmett Jordan had recently received an email from staff informing the Council Members that the charging station, which had been broken for an extended period, was now fixed. Mr. Jordan realized that the charging station presented an opportunity to draw people into the Roosevelt Center to patronize the businesses that are feeling the economic impact of the current pandemic.

“If you look at the businesses in Roosevelt Center right now, they’re struggling. They’re having a really, really hard time.” Mr. Jordan said during last night’s City Council meeting. “I’d like to go ahead and waive the fees while the emergency is in place. Anything we can do to attract more people into Roosevelt Center, we need to do.”

The charger, which opened in August, 2017, was initially free to use. The City Council decided to initiate a fee which started in January, 2019. At the time, the Council felt that the free charging was being abused by commercial drivers and people who lived outside of Greenbelt. After the fee was implemented, usage fell precipitously. According to data obtained from the Maryland Energy Administration, there were only 27 charging sessions at the Greenbelt charger in the three months between April 1 and June 30, 2020. That was down from 1182 sessions in the same calendar period in 2018.

Data to Guide Decision

In the discussion with his colleagues to convince them to vote to approve his proposal, Mr. Jordan noted, “If you look at surrounding municipalities – Hyattsville, Laurel – there are plenty of places where people can go to charge their cars now and that wasn’t the case maybe three years ago.”

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Maryland EVSE Rebate Program

Funding is available again, starting July 1, 2020, for the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Rebate Program administered by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA). The Maryland EVSE Rebate is available to qualified individuals, non-profits, state or local governments, and businesses that install an electric vehicle charging station.

Eligible participants must apply for the rebate through the MEA. Rebates will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis until funding is depleted and is subject to the conditions of the program’s guidelines. The total amount of funding that is available for the fiscal year 2021 (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021) is $1,800,000.

The rebate amount for residential charging stations is 40% of the equipment purchase price and installation cost up to $700. Complete instructions on how to apply for the Maryland EVSE Rebate are located on the MEA Program page.

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Funding Depleted – But File an Application Anyway

New:
2021 Maryland Legislation Includes EV Tax Credit Bill
Click Here for More Info

Don’t count on the $3,000 Maryland EV tax credit if you buy an electric car right now. Funding for the program is exhausted and no further funding is currently authorized. However, you should still submit the form to reserve your place in line in case funding is approved in the future.

Go to the MVA website for the current status of the Maryland EV Tax Credit program and do your due diligence before making a purchase.

The Clean Cars Act of 2017, signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan, authorized an excise tax credit on plug-in electric cars for three years, from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020.

Funds for the Maryland excise tax credit usually run out early each fiscal year. Applicants are then put on a wait list until the next round of funding is released. Filling the backlog means that each year’s funding runs out sooner than the last.

In September, 2016 the money ran out barely two months into fiscal year 2017. The Maryland MVA sent out a bulletin advising auto dealers to alert customers that funds were depleted and the program had ended.

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New Policy Expands Options for Residential Charging

Guidelines developed by Montgomery County, Maryland will allow for privately owned EV charging stations to be installed in the public right of way adjacent to County streets. Residents of homes that qualify will be able to charge while parked on the curb using electricity from their home meter.

The curbside charging program is available to residents of single family homes or duplexes. Permits will be considered when a home doesn’t have a driveway and off-street parking cannot be built on the home’s property.

This is welcome news for many Montgomery County homeowners who’ve been wanting to buy an electric vehicle but only have curbside parking at home.

The Residential EV Charging Permit Guidelines were developed by the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS) and the Department of Transportation (MCDOT).

“We have installed electric vehicle charging stations in many of our parking garages, purchased electric and alternative fueled buses, implemented bike- and e-scooter sharing and many other measures to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “These new EV charging guidelines are the logical next step to encourage a shift to lower emission vehicles and ensure that charging on our public streets is done safely. The result is easy to understand and implement right now, but also allows us to adapt as technology advances.”

Process to Apply for a Curbside EV Charging Station

The Guidelines present five steps and three permitting options which will be guided by the initial determination by DPS.

Step 1: Initial Inquiry

Submit a letter of interest with a site plan.

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After Five Month Delay

This week, the Maryland Zero Emission Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council (ZEEVIC) released their 2019 Annual Report that was due last December.

Under the Maryland Clean Cars Act, the body is required to submit an annual report of the Council’s work and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1st. This would give the Governor and legislature a month to study the information and prepare important EV related bills for the lawmaking session which begins each January.

Formed as The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council (EVIC) in 2011

The Council was created by legislation introduced by Governor O’Malley in 2011 to coordinate integration of electric vehicles into Maryland communities and transportation system. It was originally called the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council (EVIC). EVIC included representatives of automobile manufacturers, dealers, charging equipment manufacturers, utility companies, electrical workers, state and local governments, energy and environmental experts.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells Added to Become ZEEVIC

In 2019, legislation sponsored by Governor Hogan added representatives of the hydrogen fuel industry and the name was changed to the Zero Emission Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council (ZEEVIC). The 2019 ZEEVIC Report cover features a photo of Gov. Hogan and administration officials at a demo of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in front of the state capitol in Annapolis.

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Maryland Legislature to Adjourn Early

The leaders of the Maryland General Assembly announced today that the 2020 session will adjourn on Wednesday March 18th due to the coronavirus outbreak. The 90-day session was scheduled to run through April 6th. This will be the first time since the Civil War that the Maryland lawmaking session has closed early.

EV Related Bills in Limbo

With the abbreviated session and the lawmakers focusing on emergency legislation related to the COVID-19 crisis and getting the budget passed, legislation related to electric vehicle issues will be strained. The House and Senate were in session over the weekend and two bills that we are tracking made some movement.

Electric Buses

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Proposed Legislation Would Double EV Registration Fees

A bill in the Maryland General Assembly proposes a larger annual vehicle registration fee for electric vehicles. The proposal would actually double the annual fee on all classes of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in Maryland.

“Increasing Highway Equity Act”

HB1626, sponsored by Delegate C. T. Wilson of Charles County, is named the Increasing Highway Equity Act. The synopsis of the bill is “Doubling the annual registration fees for motor vehicles of any class that are zero-emission vehicles.”

Maryland has committed to 60,000 zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2020 and 300,000 ZEVs by 2025 as part of the California Clean Cars Program that Maryland adopted in 2007. The state has been struggling to reach that goal. According to data from the MVA, as of January there are 24,615 plug-in electric vehicles registered in Maryland.

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