Category: Legislation

Serious Penalties for ICEing

UPDATE: This bill died in Subcommittee on Feb. 17, 2020

Virginia Senator Ghazala F. Hashmi wants to impose serious punishment against people who are guilty of “ICEing” an EV charging station. She has introduced an anti-ICEing bill (SB 911) that proposes a $500 penalty for violators in addition to being subject to being towed.

About a dozen US states have already adopted laws to prohibit non plug-in cars from blocking a parking space reserved for electric vehicle charging. For a list of states see: Legislation Reference – Reserved Parking for Plug-In Vehicle Charging

If Senator Hashmi’s bill is enacted without amendments, Virginia would have one on the harshest anti-ICEing laws in the United States. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Transportation and has a long way to go before the 2020 lawmaking session in Richmond ends on March 7th.

Virginia Senate Bill 911

This is the language of the bill as introduced.

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Difficulties Installing EV Charging Stations in Condos

Virginia Senator Scott A. Surovell of Mount Vernon has introduced a “Right to Charge” bill (SB 630) for the 2020 legislative session in Richmond.

The legislation would prohibit certain HOAs, condominiums and cooperatives from prohibiting the installation of an electric vehicle charging station in a resident’s designated parking space. The bill sets certain provisions including requiring the EV owner to pay for the electricity plus the cost of the installation and removal of the charging stations.

Senator Surovell says, “The transportation sector has now passed electricity production as the largest carbon emitter in the United States.”

Need to Facilitate EV Ownership

An EV driver himself, Surovell told PlugInSites, “We need to facilitate EV ownership and several people including constituents have reached out to me regarding difficulties encountered installing EV charging stations in condominiums. I’m hoping that my legislation will create a roadmap that facilitates the efficient deployment of charging stations in homeowners associations, condominiums and cooperatives.”

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New:
2021 Virginia EV Legislation
Click Here

Virginia House Bill 717

Virginia Delegate David Reid of Loudoun County is proposing a rebate for Virginians who buy or lease an electric vehicle. The legislation will be formally introduced when the Virginia General Assembly convenes on Wednesday, January 8 in Richmond.

Used Vehicles Would Qualify

HB 717 proposes that an individual who buys or leases a new or used electric vehicle from a dealer in Virginia and registers the vehicle in Virginia would be eligible for a rebate. The MSRP for new vehicles and the Kelly Blue Book value for used, must not exceed $50,000 in order to qualify for a rebate.

Electric vehicles that get 200 or more miles of range would qualify for a $2,000 rebate for new and $1,000 for a used vehicle. A vehicle that gets between 120 and 200 miles qualifies for $1,500 for new and $750 for used. Vehicles that get less than 120 miles per charge qualify for $400 for a new vehicle and $200 for used.

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PlugInSites is tracking the progress of electric vehicle legislation in Maryland and Virginia as well as select bills from other states. Check this page often or subscribe below for updates.

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The Howard County, Maryland EV-Ready ordinance that passed in 2018 is cited as an example in the recently published Great Plains Institute’s “Summary of Best Practices in Electric Vehicle Ordinances”.

EV-Friendly Zoning Practices

The Howard County legislation (CB76-2018) is recognized as a model to guide other communities in developing EV-friendly zoning ordinances. The bill was sponsored by Jen Terrasa who was my Councilwoman at the time. Terrasa was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018 and is a member of the House Environment and Transportation Committee.

The guide summarizes city ordinances and zoning practices regarding:

• EV charging stations as permitted land use
• EV make-ready standards
• EV supply equipment standards
• EV parking space design and location
• Required EV parking capacity and minimum parking requirements
• EV-designated parking use standards and protections
• Signage, safety, and other standards
• Definition of terms

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Senate Bill S7055 by Anna M. Kaplan

New York State Senator Anna Kaplan has prefiled legislation in Albany to require that new construction projects with more than 50 parking spaces that receive state funding must be capable of supporting electric vehicle charging stations.

The bill as drafted specifies that an electrical supply panel, raceway, and other components would be required to support future EV charging equipment with a capacity of at least 3.1 kW for each charging station.

Senate Bill S7055 is due to be assigned to the Committee on Finance when the 2020 Legislative Session begins on January 8th.

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Hydrogen Fuel Cells, EV Tax Credit & Electric School Bus Bills Advanced

The 90-day Maryland lawmaking session adjourned yesterday at midnight. PlugInSites has been tracking over a dozen electric vehicle related bills in Annapolis since the General Assembly convened in January. Three of them managed to pass both chambers and are headed to Governor Hogan to sign.

The Clean Cars Act of 2019, HB 1246, was a collaboration between Governor Hogan’s Administration and Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo. It will expand the state’s efforts to support Zero Emission Vehicles to include Hydrogen Fuel Cell cars. The role of Maryland’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council (EVIC) will begin to include promoting the utilization of fuel cell electric vehicles as well as plug-ins. The council will be renamed the Maryland Zero Emission Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council (ZEEVIC).

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Tracking EV-Related Bills in the Maryland General Assembly

Here is a list of bills in the Maryland legislature that we are watching as of 2/21/19.

SB 70 – Vehicle Laws – HOV Lanes – Plug-In Electric Drive and Hybrid Vehicles

SB 78 – Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicle Excise Tax Credit – Sunset – Repeal

SB 168 / HB 151 – Clean Cars Act of 2019

SB 316 – Vehicle Laws – Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicles – Reserved Parking Spaces

SB 822 – Real Property – Installation and Use of Electric Vehicle Recharging Equipment

SB 987 – Public Safety – Building Codes – Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

SB 998 – Public Service Commission – Electric Vehicle Infrastructure – Prior Authorization

HB 72 – Extension of Electric Vehicle Incentives Act

HB 826 – Electric Vehicle Recharging Equipment for Multi–Family Units Act

HB 1180 – Maryland Energy Administration – Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicle Rebate Program

HB 1246 – Plug–In Electric Drive Vehicle Excise Tax Credit

HB 1255 – School Bus Purchasing – Zero-Emission Vehicle – Requirement

HB 1331 – Public Utilities – Electric Vehicle Charging Station Infrastructure – Task Force

Electric Vehicle Legislation Tracker – 2019

Follow the latest developments at the PlugInSites Electric Vehicle Legislation Tracker.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has requested the Clean Cars Act of 2019 which proposes to increase the annual funding and expand the electric vehicle excise tax credit for electric vehicles to include the purchase of fuel cell electric vehicles. Funding would increase from $3,000,000 to $6,000,000 through fiscal year 2020.

As part of the proposal, Governor Hogan wants to alter the role and reconfigure the membership of the Maryland Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council (EVIC) to additionally promote fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The EVIC, created by legislation in 2011, is tasked with helping to increase the number of plug-in electric vehicles registered in the state and to increase the size of the publicly available EV charging network in order to help the state reach its clean air and greenhouse gas reduction goals.

The Clean Cars Act of 2019 (SB168 & HB151) would rename the EVIC to the Maryland Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Council. Three new members would be appointed by the Governor including representatives of manufacturers of fuel cell electric vehicle infrastructure equipment, manufacturers of fuel cell electric vehicles and a representative of the business community in the state.

Two current members would be removed, the representative of the Baltimore Electric Vehicle Initiative (BEVI) and one of the two representatives of electric companies. Pepco and BGE are both currently on the Council.
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Some Maryland EV Buyers Didn’t Get State Tax Credit in 2017

Relief may finally be coming for Maryland Electric Vehicle drivers who missed out on the State Tax Rebate program when funding ran out before the end of fiscal year 2017 which ended on 6/30/2017.

A bill sponsored by Maryland Delegate Marc Korman, who represents District 16 in Montgomery County, proposes to retroactively give rebates to individuals who purchased a plug in electric vehicle in fiscal year 2017 but did not receive a state rebate after the program ran out of funds.

Maryland HB 72, the Extension of Electric Vehicle Incentives Act, would also provide rebates to certain individuals who did not receive a qualified rebate under the Fiscal Year 2017 Electric Vehicle Recharging Equipment Rebate Program after that program also ran out of funds.

Delegate Korman’s bill would authorize an applicant to receive a refund of excise tax imposed for a qualified plug–in electric vehicle if the vehicle was purchased new and titled for the first time on or after July 1, 2016, but before July 1, 2017 if the applicant is the vehicle’s original owner and owns the vehicle when applying for the tax credit. Read More …