Plug-In Sites - EV charging from a driver's perspective.

EV Charger Reliability Standards Report Issued by Maryland PSC Work Group

July 20, 2022November 30, 2022 Lanny

“Consistently delivering on your promise reinforces trust.” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive

Will people develop trust that electricity can replace gasoline as “fuel” for their transportation? This must happen before electric vehicles enter mainstream adoption. Sure, we are told by advocates that 90% of charging is done at home. But we also know that ubiquitous public charging is important to ensure equity so that all citizens may benefit from driving electric. After all, many people do not have access to charging at home or work. For those folks, DC fast chargers are practically their only option. And those chargers better deliver on the promise of convenience, reliability and affordability. Otherwise, people won’t trust the chargers. Consequently, they won’t trust electric cars.

On January 14, 2019, the Maryland Public Service Commission approved a five-year pilot program to allow utilities to install public EV charging stations in their service territory. The utilities promised to maintain a high standard of uptime. BGE was quoted in the Carroll County Times saying, “BGE is being held to the same reliability standards as our electric distribution system, so they must be operational at all times.”

Some EV drivers have raised concerns that the utilities’ public EV chargers are not as reliable as we’d hoped they’d be. The Maryland Public Service Commissioners heard that a charger at Howard County Community College had been down for weeks while the one next to it only delivered a fraction of its promised charging speed.

EV Charger Reliability Standards

In January 2022, the Commission directed the utilities to work with a stakeholder work group to develop public charger reliability standards. The standards, if approved, would be used in the semi-annual progress reports that utilities are required to submit. The standards were to be filed prior to the next semi-annual reports which are due August 1, 2022.

Work Group Asks to Delay Uptime Reporting Until Next Year

Maryland EV Registrations Surpass 50,000 as of June 30, 2022

July 19, 2022October 1, 2022 Lanny

Maryland EV Registrations June 30, 2022 — Plug-in electric vehicles registered in Maryland as of June 30, 2022

There are 50,124 plug-in electric vehicles registered in Maryland as of June 30, 2022. That is a 15,283 increase in the number of Maryland EV registrations over the previous 12 month period according to data from MDOT / Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.

The 12 month increase in Maryland EV registrations amounts to a 44% rise. This compares to a 35% rise over the previous 12 month period between June 30, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

EVgo Blames AT&T for Outage Sunday Evening

July 18, 2022November 30, 2022 Lanny

Charging Sites Completely Down for Hours

EVgo experienced a widespread network outage Sunday evening as many EV drivers were returning from their weekend travels.

Around 6:30 PM July 17th, I noticed an unusual number of chargers on the EVgo network were reporting as offline and unavailable on the EVgo mobile app. At least 16 sites in Virginia were completely down. See the map above for the locations in Virginia that reported no working chargers.

Around 8:00 PM an electric vehicle driver tweeted that the last six EVgo chargers he tried did not work.

AT&T is experiencing communications issues that is impacting our network, please refer to the EVgo app for current charger status and Plugshare for alternative charging options.
evgo

Virginia Anti-ICEing Law – Map of Enforceable Locations

July 1, 2022December 26, 2022 Lanny

Virginia anti-ICEing sign Penalty up to $25 — Enforceable sign at Electrify America, Tysons Corner Center

$25 fine for violation
Takes effect July 1, 2022
EV charging space must be clearly marked
No violation unless the sign includes: “PENALTY, UP TO $25”
Plug-in vehicle “that is not in the process of charging” violates the law

Virginia lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year that creates a prohibition and a civil penalty for certain vehicles parked in spaces reserved for charging electric vehicles. The law goes into effect today.

To be enforced, the Virginia “anti-ICEing” law requires that the parking space adjacent to an electric vehicle charging station be clearly marked as reserved for charging electric vehicles. Additionally, the sign indicating that the space is reserved for charging electric vehicles must include the following language: “PENALTY, UP TO $25.”

The highly-specific signage requirements detailed in many state and local anti-ICEing laws are often not understood by EV drivers. The police will not be able to enforce these laws, including in Virginia, if the charging space is not designated by signs that meet the criteria in the law. In other words, if there are no signs, there can be no fines.

I’ve learned from years of experience advocating for EV drivers that it is relatively easy to pass an anti-ICEing law. It’s a much greater challenge to convince EV charging operators and site hosts to post the special signs that allow the laws to be enforced.

Eight years ago, I approached my local County Council representative to propose an anti-ICEing ordinance. The Howard County, Maryland Council Bill 36-2014 subsequently passed and went into effect on September 29, 2014. That was the easy part.

The main reason I wanted the ordinance was because publicly-funded EV charging stations on property owned by the Columbia Association were chronically being blocked by gas vehicles. When I contacted Columbia Association, they said that they would not do anything about the problem unless there was a law against it.

After the Howard County ordinance passed, I approached the Columbia Association again to ask that they post enforceable signs. To make a long story short, it took another two years and a lot of effort to finally convince them to post enforceable signs. [Signs Posted at Columbia Association EV Charging Stations]

Colorado EV drivers worked to get a statewide anti-ICEing law passed in 2019. When Colorado HB 1298 passed, Tesla indicated their support for the legislation via the following Tweet.

EV Charging for Condo Residents in Columbia, Maryland

June 9, 2022June 9, 2022 Lanny

Cove and Watermark Place Condominiums in Columbia Maryland

Two properties in Columbia, Maryland are getting Level 2 EV charging for condo residents.

The Cove and Watermark Place are adjacent to one another in the Wilde Lake area of Columbia. They both seem to have coordinated with the BGE EVsmart Multifamily Property program. The installation work for both places was done at the same time.

Watermark Place is a high-rise luxury apartment condo on Windstream Drive across from the Mall. There are eight EV charging ports in the north west side of the parking lot. The Cove is a townhome style community on the lake. They have EVSEs to charge four vehicles simultaneously. They are located in the south east of the parking area in the 10080 block of Windstream Drive.

All the charging stations are made by ChargePoint and are labeled with BGE EVsmart branding.

EV Charging for Condo / Multi-Family Properties

These charging stations are probably part of BGE’s owned and operated EV chargers that are being placed at certain multi-family properties. The Maryland Public Service Commission approved BGE to install and operate 40 Level 2 EV charging stations on multi-family properties. The fee to use these utility owned and operated stations will be the same as the price to use their public charging stations. As of June, 2022, that price is $0.18 per kWh including tax.

BGE is also approved to offer rebates to multi-family properties that wish to install and own the charging equipment themselves. That offering includes a rebate for 50% of the cost of the EV charging equipment and installation up to $5,000 per Level 2 charging port. The rebate program has experienced a slow uptake, likely because the effort and upfront expense must be undertaken by the property managers which can be daunting.

Multi-Family EV Charging Case Studies

The Maryland EV website has several multi-family EV charging case studies.

An Electric Vehicle Charging Station Webinar was recorded by the Chesapeake Region Chapter of CAI.

Maryland Anti-ICEing Law Sign Requirements

May 26, 2022September 28, 2022 Lanny

The Maryland anti-ICEing law that passed this year will go into effect on October 1, 2022.

In order to be enforceable the charging space needs to be designated by a certain sign that, among other requirements, must meet design and placement standards established by the State Highway Administration.

Sign Specifications of Maryland Anti-ICEing Law

Specifically, the law states that a publicly accessible plug–in electric drive vehicle charging space as defined under Transportation Article § 21–1003.2, Annotated Code of Maryland shall be designated by a sign that:

Indicates that the charging space is only for electric vehicle charging;
Includes any day or time restrictions;
States the maximum fine that may be incurred for a violation; and
Is consistent with the design and placement specifications established in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways adopted by the State Highway Administration under § 25–104 of this article.

Guidance Needed to Inform Deployment of Signs

There are guidelines for parking signs at spaces reserved for persons with disabilities under the Maryland Accessibility Code for Buildings and Facilities as established by COMAR 09.12.53.12 PDF link.

For example, ADA parking signs must have the international symbol of access and the words “Reserved Parking”, and conform with the requirements for uniform traffic control devices under Transportation Article, §25-104. Those signs generally must be at least 7 feet above the ground if on a pole.

I hope that the Maryland State Highway Administration will provide similar guidance for signs for electric vehicle charging spaces that will satisfy the requirements of the Maryland anti-ICEing law.

I hope any guidance or standards developed by the state of Maryland will include a suggestion to include text to inform EV drivers that their vehicle must be connected to the charging equipment.

Fast Charger Replaced at Annapolis Library

May 25, 2022September 28, 2022 Lanny

BGE EVsmart Charging Station at Michael E. Busch Annapolis Library

Two years after being commissioned, the BGE fast charger at the Michael E. Busch Library in Annapolis has been replaced.

The original Efacec QC45 DC fast charger was swapped with a Model L3S-50-480-01-001 from BTC Power and is now energized and ready for EV drivers.

The charging stations at the library include four Level 2 connectors and are part of the BGE “EVsmart” network. Drivers use Shell Recharge to start a charging session and pay for usage. The present price is $0.32/kWh for fast charging and $0.18/kWh for Level 2, including MD sales and use tax.

History of Issues

This location opened on March 13, 2020. The site cost $124,029.56 to install according to documents filed with the Maryland Public Service Commission. This does not include the cost of the replacement equipment.

Revenue at this particular site amounted to $1,419.77 through December 31, 2021. The electric bill for that period was $7,313.71 resulting in a loss of $5,893.94 for the first 21 months of operation.

The fast charger at the Annapolis Library has had a history of EV drivers reporting issues. The CHAdeMO connector was damaged in December and BGE said that there was a delay in getting parts.

BGE is not the only charging operator to replace equipment. Electrify America swapped equipment at many of their charging sites. The Columbia, Maryland site was closed for six weeks to replace the hardware in late 2020.

Hopefully the replacement fast charger at the Annapolis Library will renew the confidence of EV drivers and utilization will increase.

Maryland EV Registrations Hit New Record in April, 2022

May 20, 2022May 20, 2022 Lanny

Maryland EV Registrations April 2022 — Plug-in electric vehicles registered in Maryland as of April, 2022

There are 47,132 plug-in electric vehicles registered in Maryland as of April 30, 2022. That is a 1,839 increase in the number of registrations over the previous month according to data from MDOT / Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.

The April increase in Maryland EV registrations is the most new electric vehicles added in any single month for the state.

60,000 Goal for Maryland Electric Vehicles

Maryland set a goal of having 60,000 Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) on the road by 2020 and 300,000 ZEVs on the road by 2025. These goals are part of the California Clean Cars Program that Maryland adopted in 2007. That program requires vehicle manufacturers to sell a certain number of ZEVs in the state.

Montgomery and Howard Have the Highest Number of EVs

There were about 5 million vehicles registered in Maryland as of June 30, 2021 according to MVA. About 794,713 are registered in Montgomery County. About 10,308 of the vehicles in the County are all-electric and 5,442 are plug-In hybrids for a total of 15,750 electric vehicles. That means nearly 2% of all the vehicles registered in Montgomery County, MD are plug-ins. 5,561 plug-in electric vehicles are registered in Anne Arundel County for 2nd place, barely edging out Howard County which has 5,338.

Baltimore and Prince George’s Counties are next in the rankings with 4,830 and 4,131 EVs respectively.

Somerset County on the eastern shore has only 26 plug-in vehicles registered. Garrett County in far western Maryland has 40 EVs.

Source: MVA Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Registration data obtained from Maryland Open Data Portal.

Maryland to Penalize EV Drivers Who Are Not Plugged In

May 17, 2022September 28, 2022 Lanny

$100 Fine at Maryland Charging Stations

Governor Larry Hogan signed legislation yesterday that will penalize gas vehicle drivers who block electric vehicle charging stations in Maryland. The same $100 fine will also apply to EV drivers who are not “plugged into charging equipment.”

Unless the vehicle is a plug–in electric drive vehicle that is plugged into charging equipment, a person may not stop, stand, or park a vehicle in a designated plug–in electric drive vehicle charging space.
Maryland Transportation Article §21–1003.2 (B)

Maryland is the 17th state to pass an “anti-ICEing” law to regulate parking at electric vehicle charging stations.

Virginia: Must be Actively Charging

A new Virginia law goes one step further. Beginning July 1st, electric vehicles in Virginia must be “in the process of charging” while in a reserved charging space. A diligent parking enforcement officer could conceivably ticket an EV driver for “ICEing” the instant their vehicle stops charging.

Colorado and New York also require EVs to be actively charging. However, those states give EV drivers a 30-minute grace period to move their car and make an exception for EV charging at airports, hotels and between the hours of 11 PM and 5 AM.

No Signs, No Fines

The Maryland anti-ICEing law cannot be enforced unless the charging station provider wants to post signs that conform to the requirements spelled out in the legislation. Enforceable signs must state the amount of the fine ($100) and meet state standards for parking signs including color, font size and placement height. The regulatory signs, and therefore enforceability, are at the discretion of the charging station provider.

(C) A publicly accessible plug–in electric drive vehicle charging space shall be designated by a sign that:
(1) Indicates that the charging space is only for electric vehicle charging;
(2) Includes any day or time restrictions;
(3) States the maximum fine that may be incurred for a violation; and
(4) Is consistent with the design and placement specifications established in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways adopted by the State Highway Administration under § 25–104 of this article.
Maryland Transportation Article §21–1003.2 (C)

Unenforceable at Tesla Superchargers

Rivian Chargers Under Construction in Maryland

May 15, 2022July 18, 2022 Lanny

Rivian Adventure Network

Rivian has begun construction of six DC fast chargers at a shopping center near Interstate 95 in Harford County, MD.

The electric truck and SUV maker is installing six charging stalls in the north west part of the parking lot at 1321 Riverside Parkway in Belcamp. According to documents submitted to Harford County officials, an additional three spots will be prepared for future expansion for an eventual total of nine DCFC spots.

The Riverside Shopping Center where Rivian is building the chargers has a ShopRite grocery store (open 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM), McDonald’s and Waffle House (both open 24 hours), plus a Walgreens, Subway, Riverside Pizzeria and Crab Du Jour restaurant.

Exclusively for Rivian Vehicles

Rivian plans to build more than 3,500 CCS fast chargers at over 600 sites in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2023. These DC fast chargers will be part of the Rivian Adventure Network.

The company has said that their fast chargers “are currently proposed to be exclusively for the use of Rivian vehicles only.” However, the text of a lease agreement between Rivian and the town of Salida, CO suggests that Rivian reserves the option to open some or all of the fast charger spaces to other electric vehicles.