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

Edgewater, Maryland Tesla Supercharger Coming to Wawa

March 6, 2021March 6, 2021 Lanny

Tesla just dropped off two Supercharger cabinets, and associated hardware for eight charging stalls at the Wawa store at 3166 Solomons Island Rd, Edgewater, MD.

This location is less than four miles down MD Rt. 2/Solomons Island Rd. from the Annapolis Supercharger that opened in March, 2019. The eight stall site in Annapolis has the older 150 kW Version 2 Superchargers. Edgewater will be the 250 kW Version 3 (V3).

Stay tuned as construction on the Edgewater, MD Tesla Supercharger moves forward.

Volta EV Charging Stations at Giant Food in Columbia

March 3, 2021March 3, 2021 Lanny

The Giant store at 8805 Centre Park Dr, Columbia, Maryland now has a pair of electric vehicle charging stations. The stations were installed by Volta Charging.

Free Charging – Supported by Advertising

These free EV charging stations are subsidized by selling advertising messages that are displayed on the large digital screens on each unit. Volta claims to be the world’s most highly used EV charging network.

Volta says their business model isn’t to make money from selling electricity to EV drivers. Instead, Volta partners with highly-visited retail locations such as grocery stores and retail centers where they can display advertising messages.

The Mall in Columbia, operated by Brookfield Properties, had the first Volta charging stations in Howard County. The Giant store at 7200 Cradlerock Way in Columbia got their own Volta stations a few months ago. White Marsh Mall in northern Baltimore County has eight Volta charging stations. Towson Town Center also has Volta charging.

Expect to see more of these free charging stations showing up at Giant stores in the coming months.

New Signs at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD

March 1, 2021September 28, 2022 Lanny

Enforceable Signs for County Anti-ICEing Ordinance

Charging stations at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland now have new signs. The BGE EVsmart stations that opened in January originally had green and white signs with “electric vehicle parking only” and a logo depicting a car with a plug. Those signs were not enforceable under the Howard County anti-ICEing ordinance.

The local EV community advocated for an anti-ICEing ordinance and Howard County passed legislation in 2014. See: Video of Public Comments on Howard Co. Bill CB36-2014. The ordinance requires official signs that meet federal and state standards to designate a charging space before police can enforce the prohibition.

Official Signs Comply with Federal and State Standards for Parking Signs

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a Policy Statement on June 17, 2013 to address regulatory sign standards for electric vehicle charging and parking facilities. Howard County has chosen to use the “NO PARKING EXCEPT WHILE CHARGING” (R7-113) signs at the utility-operated charging stations located on county-owned property.

Standardized signs are are a good idea even in places that don’t yet have an anti-ICEing law. They are the best way to communicate that spaces in front of EV charging stations are not parking spots, they are for electric vehicles while being recharged.

Meadowood Regional Park Charging Stations in Baltimore County

February 1, 2021February 1, 2021 Lanny

The Meadowood Regional Park in Lutherville, Maryland now has public electric vehicle charging stations. The BGE EVsmart stations were operational and in use by a Chevy Bolt EV on Saturday, January 30, 2021. Two dual-port Level 2 charging stations can charge four vehicles at once. The Meadowood Regional Park EV charging stations are located in the south east corner of the parking area just off of Falls Road.

Meadowood Regional Park is located at Falls Road and Greenspring Valley Road just north of the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) and the Jones Falls Expressway (I-83). Map link

According to the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks, Meadowood Regional Park provides a variety of outdoor recreational facilities including:

Six athletic fields (four lighted, one artificial turf)
Three picnic pavilions
Playground
A .8-mile paved walking path, with upper and lower sections measuring .4 miles each.

There are a number of take-out food establishments nearby at Green Spring Station, so you can grab a meal and enjoy a picnic while you charge.

The fee to use the Level 2 charging stations is $0.18 per kWh including 6% Maryland sales tax. The fees are subject to change with the approval of the Maryland Public Service Commission which regulates the utilities. Payment is via a Greenlots account.

Eastport-Annapolis Neck Library Fast Chargers

January 20, 2021January 20, 2021 Lanny

Six Level 2 Ports

A public charging site is open at the Anne Arundel County Public Library at 269 Hillsmere Drive, Annapolis, MD. The BGE EVsmart utility owned and operated charging stations are energized as of January 20, 2021. There are two DC Fast Chargers and six Level 2 ports along the east edge of the parking lot. [map link]

Greenlots Network

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.

Two CCS/CHAdeMO Fast Chargers

The two 50 kW fast chargers are Efacec QC 45 units that are also used in some other BGE installations such as Westminster and Ellicott City. Having multiple fast chargers will help bolster EV drivers’ confidence. If one fast charger is occupied or inoperable, there’s another fast charger for back up.

Virginia EV Rebate Legislation Proposed in 2021

January 12, 2021January 19, 2021 Lanny

Virginia House Bill 1979

Virginia Delegate David Reid of Loudoun County is proposing a rebate for Virginians who buy or lease an electric vehicle. The legislation will be introduced when the Virginia General Assembly convenes on January 13, 2021.

Used Vehicles Would Qualify

HB 1979 proposes that an individual who buys or leases a new or used electric motor vehicle from a dealer in Virginia and registers the vehicle in Virginia would be eligible for a $2,500 rebate. An additional $2,000 rebate would be available for certain income qualified individuals.

For the purposes of the rebate program, an electric motor vehicle “means a motor vehicle that uses electricity as its only source of motive power. ‘Electric motor vehicle’ includes fuel cell electric vehicles.”

UPDATE: I reached out to Delegate Reid to clarify if the bill would include incentives for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). He explained that right now, it does not include PHEVs or fleet vehicles. The reason being that there is a limited amount of money to get started with and they were looking for where the program could be scaled back in a way that they can achieve the environmental benefits of being able to get carbon out of the transportation sector in a manner that would provide the most bang for the buck. Given the budget constraints of the moment, the program is designed to begin by focusing just on battery electric vehicles.

Delegate Reid says he wants to be able to get consumers familiar with the idea that electric vehicles are a viable alternative for basic transportation. In the future, once the program moves forward and other sources of revenue are identified to fund the program, they can add plug-in hybrids, fleet vehicles and more.

Summary as Introduced

Electric vehicle rebate program; creation and funding; report. Creates a rebate program for the purchase or lease of new and used electric vehicles, to be administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. A purchaser or lessee of an electric vehicle would receive a $2,500 rebate at the time of purchase, and a purchaser or lessee with an annual household income that does not exceed 300 percent of the federal poverty level would be entitled to an additional $2,000 rebate. The motor vehicle dealer where the vehicle is purchased or leased would receive a refund for the amount of the rebate and a $50 incentive payment for each rebate processed. Funds would be allocated from the revenues generated by the sunset of the Virginia Coal Employment and Production Incentive Tax Credit and the Coalfield employment enhancement tax credit and prohibit the allocation of new credits on and after January 1, 2021. The bill also establishes an Electric Vehicle Rebate Advisory Council to oversee the Electric Vehicle Rebate Program and to make recommendations regarding its implementation. The Director of the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy is required to report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly regarding the Program. The Program will expire on September 1, 2026.
Summary of Virginia HB 1979 as introduced.

Fast Chargers at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD

January 9, 2021January 9, 2021 Lanny

Utility owned and operated public charging stations are now open at the Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. The BGE EVsmart stations are operational as of January 8, 2021. Two DC Fast Chargers and six Level 2 ports are located in the north west corner of Lot C on the main campus along Little Patuxent Parkway. [map link]

Two CCS/CHAdeMO Fast Chargers

The two 50 kW Fast Chargers are Efacec QC 45 units that are also used in some other BGE installations such as Westminster and Ellicott City. Having multiple fast chargers will help bolster EV drivers’ confidence. If one fast charger is occupied or inoperable, there should be another fast charger to fall back on.

On Greenlots Network

The fee to use these Fast Chargers is $0.34 per kWh. The Level 2 costs $0.18 per kWh. The fees are subject to change with the approval of the Maryland Public Service Commission which regulates the utilities. Payment is made via a Greenlots account.

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Supercharger is Open

January 8, 2021January 8, 2021 Lanny

Tesla Supercharging Station at Wawa

The Rehoboth Beach area now has its second Tesla Supercharger. An eight stall, 250 kW (V3) Supercharging station just opened at the Wawa convenience store by the intersection of Coastal Hwy and Rehoboth Ave. Ext. Map Link

This Supercharger is located less than four miles from the Lewes, DE Supercharger that opened about three years ago. The Lewes Supercharger is an eight stall station also located in the lot of a Wawa store. It’s a 150 kW powered station as compared to the 250 kW at the newer one in Rehoboth.

Why did Tesla build two Superchargers so close together? We don’t know. But consider this, the Wawa chain has three stores in that stretch of Coastal Highway that sell gasoline. There are at least six other gas stations in that section. Ultimately, electric vehicle charging stations will become ubiquitous. Areas like the beach, where tourists drive beyond the range of the charging station in their home, will be among the first areas that need to support a higher volume of people that need fast charging.

Rehoboth Beach already had many Level 2 EV charging stations to help support EV drivers visiting from out of town. There are two high-amp L2 stations at Surfside Park that were proposed in 2014 by the University of Delaware as part of a statewide network of EV charging stations in Delaware. There are also Level 2 charging stations at the three Tanger Outlets locations in Rehoboth Beach that were installed in 2015.

Version 3 Tesla Superchargers in the Delmarva

DC Area Tesla Superchargers as of January, 2021

January 7, 2021January 4, 2022 Lanny

New Tesla Superchargers in the Washington, DC Area

The number of Tesla Superchargers in the greater Washington, DC area has really grown in the last two years. The animated map above shows the progression of Supercharger installations in Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC and Northern Virginia between 2012 and 2020.

Today, a new Supercharger opened in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Listed below are the sites that are under construction and due to open soon in the Greater Washington, DC area.

Baltimore, MD – S. Caton Ave. 5 stalls, 250 kW at Royal Farms
Towson, MD 8 stalls, 250 kW at Wawa
Waldorf, MD 8 stalls, 250 kW at Wawa
King George, VA 8 stalls, 250 kW at Sheetz
Edgewater, MD 8 stalls, 250 kW at Wawa (in permitting)

Maryland EV Tax Credit Extension Proposed in Clean Cars Act of 2021

January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 Lanny

Marylanders who purchased a plug-in electric vehicle since funds were depleted for the $3,000 state excise tax credit have been waiting to see if the legislature will reauthorize funding for the program. Purchasers were encouraged to file a form to reserve a place in the queue if and when additional funding is authorized.

There’s potential good news for those waiting on a Maryland EV tax rebate from a previous purchase and those considering buying an electric car in the future. The Clean Cars Act of 2021 (HB 44) proposes to extend and increase the funding for the Maryland electric vehicle excise tax credit. Annual funding would increase to as much as $26,000,000 through fiscal year 2023 under the proposal by Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo.

The Clean Cars Act of 2017 authorized an excise tax credit on plug-in electric cars for three years, from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020 subject to available funding which was limited to a maximum amount for each fiscal year.

Funding Backlog

Funds for the Maryland excise tax credit usually ran out early and applications were then held until the next round of funding was released and paid in the order that applications were received by the MVA. Satisfying the ever growing backlog meant that each year’s funding would run out sooner than the last. In May, 2019, a month before the release of the FY 2020 funds, the entire $6 million allocated for the final year authorized by the legislation was already spoken for by applicants on the waitlist who had already purchased.

In January, 2020, the Clean Cars Act of 2020 was introduced to extend the program for another three years. It also proposed to increase the annual funding from $6,000,000 to $12,000,000. Unfortunately, the bill didn’t pass before the Maryland General Assembly adjourned early due to COVID-19. In effect, the backlog of EV buyers waiting for funding to receive a rebate check extends back to May, 2019 at this point.

Maryland Clean Cars Act of 2021

Under the proposed Clean Cars Act of 2021: