Maryland Cracks Down on EV Charging Station for Billing by the Hour

Station Condemned by Weights and Measures Over Alleged Violation

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) Weights and Measures Section slapped a stop-use order on a ChargePoint Level 2 EVSE in Columbia, MD on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. The red tag was attached to a wire that wrapped around the charging station and essentially sealed the two J1772 connectors in their holsters, preventing their use.

The stop-use order was applied one day after Weights and Measures received an email alerting them that the charging stations in a parking garage near the Mall at Columbia were billing users $2.35 per hour. Apparently, it is not allowed to sell EV charging by any other means than by the kWh in Maryland.

Weights and Measures treated the alert as if a consumer complaint had been filed. The day after receiving the alert, a Weights and Measures inspector investigated the issue and placed two charging ports under a stop-use order. The ports cannot be used until the billing method (charging $2.35 per hour instead of by kWh) is addressed by the charging station owner. Reportedly, all the other ports were in use, preventing the Weights and Measures inspector from tagging and sealing the six adjacent charging ports in that section of the garage.

STOP USE – WARNING
Do Not Remove this Tag and Security Seal until permission has been granted by the Maryland Weights and Measures Office and then only when actual repairs are to begin. Maryland Dept. of Agriculture Weights and Measures Section Annapolis, Maryland 21401 Phone (410) 841-5790

There are a total of 72 public Level 2 charging ports that are owned and operated by Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC) in Downtown Columbia. 40 of them, located in the garage at 6100 Merriweather Dr, are free. However, 32 ports located in other nearby HHC garages have a price associated with them. According to ChargePoint, the “station time rate” while charging is set at $2.35 per hour. An idling fee of $10.00 per hour applies 60 minutes after charging stops.

Many of these HHC-owned chargers have shared power, meaning multiple vehicles share the available electricity, which can reduce the charging speed. If both ports are in use at a shared-power station, the energy delivered (kWh) per hour can be halved, resulting in a higher cost per kWh.

For instance, a vehicle receiving 6.6 kW will get approximately 6.6 kWh in one hour of charging, costing $2.35. This results in a cost of about $0.36 per kWh. If sharing, each vehicle would get approximately 3.3 kWh in one hour, also at a cost of $2.35, which results in a cost of about $0.71 per kWh. This effectively means that the cost per kWh is higher when sharing the station.

A bill was introduced this year by Senator Shelly Hettleman (SB 913) that would have expanded MDA’s role to include regular inspections of public EVSEs for meter accuracy similar to how gas pumps are periodically inspected and certified. The bill died in committee. Maryland’s current budget woes may have played a part in the bill’s fate. The failed bill’s fiscal note estimated $400,000 for specialized testing equipment, plus recurring annual costs for two compliance inspectors and other operating expenses. Some of the costs would have been offset by inspection fees, but the proposed fees and regulations generated pushback from the charging industry.

Despite the failure of the bill that would have authorized a budget for MDA to take on an expanded role in regulating Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, this action demonstrates that Weights and Measures is responding to protect Maryland consumers. This particular enforcement action by MDA may be the first of its kind at an electric fueling system in the state. It certainly is the first time that I’ve seen an EV charger in Maryland condemned and the operator held accountable.