2019 Charging Station Count

EV Charging Station Growth Trend

How much has the number of electric vehicle charging stations in the Washington, DC area grown in the last five years? PlugInSites published a count on December 31, 2014. Today, exactly five years later, we take another snapshot and compare the data.

The following EV charging station count is from the U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center which keeps track of the number of EV charging stations from data provided by the major charging networks as well as other sources. The figures include public and private stations, DC Fast Chargers as well as Level 2 and Level 1 outlets. The counts below were captured on December 31, 2019. The percentages are the amount of growth of the public charging infrastructure in the five years since 2014.

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Warrenton, VA Tesla Destination Charging

Two Tesla destination charging stations in Warrenton, VA
Tesla destination charging in Warrenton, Virginia

Charming Historic Old Town Warrenton

Virginia is home to a number of charming, walkable small towns. Old Town Warrenton is one of those gems. Now you can charge your Tesla when you visit.

The Town of Warrenton recently installed two Tesla connectors in a public parking lot downtown. The location is near 45 Horner St., behind the Post Office.

On Way to Wineries and Shenandoah National Park

Warrenton Town Manager Brandie Schaeffer told WTOP Radio ”Warrenton is the best kept secret in Northern Virginia. People with electric vehicles traveling from the city to the wineries or Shenandoah National Park can stop in Warrenton for a quick charge, while they grab coffee, lunch, or shop.”

One attraction that gets rave reviews is the Red Truck Rural Bakery. Located in a former Esso gas station, Travel + Leisure calls it “One of America’s best small-town bakeries.”

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New York Bill to Require EV-Ready Parking at State Funded Construction Projects

Senate Bill S7055 by Anna M. Kaplan

I Love New York Sign

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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Mount Airy, MD to Add Tesla Destination Charging

Mt Airy, MD Charging Station
White paint marks an area where EV charging is to be installed.

Mt. Airy, Maryland, a town located between Baltimore and Frederick, installed a Level 2 charging station in May, 2015. We reported on the ribbon cutting when the Mayor, who drives an EV, and other officials welcomed electric vehicle drivers to charge for free while visiting the quaint and historic Mt Airy Main Street.

Town Attractive for EV Tourism

The initiative to attract EV tourism must be successful because the town is ready to break ground to add four more charging stations. These will be 240v Tesla charging units. Two will go next to the existing universal J1772 connectors in the Municipal Parking Lot and two will be installed in Watkins Park.

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BGE Fast Charger in Westminster, MD

Utility Operated Charging Station

The first utility owned and operated DC Fast Charger in Maryland opened in Westminster, Maryland. It’s located in the parking lot at the Carroll County Government Offices Building at 225 N. Center Street.

The 50 kW charger is an Efacec QC45 similar to the charger at the Royal Farms Store about four miles east on Baltimore Blvd. We hope the single BGE fast charger is reliable, regularly maintained and fixed quickly since the only backup on site is a pair of Level 2 ports. See: Advocating for EV Charger Reliability at the Maryland PSC

All BGE fast chargers currently cost $0.34 per kWh as approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission which regulates the utility. Level 2 costs $0.18 per kWh. EV drivers can pay via a Greenlots account. Video.

More BGE Public Charging Coming Soon

BGE plans to own, and operate up to 500 public EV charging stations in their Maryland service area on property owned or controlled by state, county, and local governments. About 20% of these are to be DC Fast Chargers.

Eldersburg Library, North Carroll Library and Carroll Community College also plan to have charging stations according to a Carroll County news release.

For more information about the BGE EV Smart program, see bge.com/electricvehicles.

Happy 7th Birthday East Coast Superchargers

Newark, DE and Milford, CT Tesla Superchargers Open for Seven Years

Milford, CT Tesla Supercharger
90 kW Supercharger stalls at Milford Travel Plaza NB. photo: @Lanny, Feb. 17, 2013.

On December 21, 2012, Tesla officially opened the Superchargers at the Delaware Welcome Center in Newark and at the Milford Travel Plazas on I-95 in Connecticut. These two locations let Model S drivers travel between Washington, DC and Boston. At the time, only six of Tesla’s exclusive fast charging sites existed elsewhere in the world and all were in California. Today, there are over 1,700 Supercharger stations worldwide.

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Frederick, MD Supercharger at FSK Mall

pluginsites Frederick Supercharger

Tesla Supercharging at Francis Scott Key Mall

The Frederick Maryland Supercharger at Francis Scott Key Mall has power as of November 26, 2019. Tesla installed ten charging stalls at the mall which is south east of the town of Frederick near where I-270 and I-70 merge. Map link.

The Frederick Supercharger site is along Spectrum Drive on the north edge of the parking lot near Barnes and Noble. There’s a Red Robin restaurant and a BJ’s Brewhouse nearby. In addition to the mall’s food options, there’s a Panera, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Baja Fresh and several other eateries in the area.

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Columbia, Maryland Electrify America Fast Chargers

Ten Charging Stalls

The new Electrify America charging station in Columbia, MD is now the largest CCS/CHAdeMO site in Maryland and one of the biggest in the entire country.

The fast charging station, which is now operational, has a total of ten dispensers. Two are labeled as 350 kW maximum power and the other eight are 150 kW maximum. One dispenser has a CHAdeMO port rated at 50 kW, the other nine are CCS only. 

According to the Electrify America website, there are 339 stations operational as of Nov. 15, 2019. Most EA sites have eight or fewer chargers. Columbia is one of only about 14 Electrify America sites with ten chargers.

The electric vehicle charging station is built and operated by a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group as part of a settlement over VW’s diesel emissions scandal. It’s located in the parking lot of the Walmart at 6405 Dobbin Road. Walmart, a partner with Electrify America, has announced over 100 stores will have EA charging stations. The Walmart stores in Abingdon and Hagerstown, MD also have Electrify America chargers operating in their parking lots.

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Hancock, Maryland Fast Chargers – CCS & CHAdeMO

Hancock, MD Fast Charging
Located at the Western Maryland Rail Trail Parking Lot.

A new set of DC fast chargers in Hancock, Maryland has moved the western frontier for CHAdeMO and CCS charging in Maryland about 25 miles past Hagerstown.

EV drivers in the region have been eager to have CCS and CHAdeMO options in western Maryland ever since it was first proposed over five years ago.

In April 2014, Maryland announced a $1 million plan to fund the placement of DC fast chargers throughout the entire state including Garrett County. However, when the first grant awards were announced, there weren’t any charging sites on the map past Hagerstown.

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V3 Supercharger Planned for Vienna, Virginia Wawa

V3 Supercharger Vienna

Drawings Indicate Eight 250 kW Supercharger Stalls

Tesla plans to build a Version 3 Supercharger at a new Wawa store in Vienna, Virginia. The location is a former Caldwell Banker building at 465 Maple Ave. (Rt. 123) at the intersection with Nutley St. Map link. Construction to convert the existing building began in September and management expects the store to open around April, 2020.

Plans show eight Supercharger stalls. Five charging spots are on the north side of the parking lot near the entrance from Nutley, Street. Three stalls are shown on the west side of the lot across from the main store entrance according to drawings submitted to Fairfax County and obtained by PlugInSites through a Virginia Freedom of Information Act request. One of the stalls will be in a pull-in spot. Two spots will be “dedicated” with “TESLA VEHICLE CHARGING ONLY” signs. The remaining stalls will allow “15 MINUTE GENERAL PARKING” according to the documents.

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