EV Fast Chargers Open at Two Maryland Travel Plazas on I-95

Lanny

Maryland House EV Charging Stations

It just got a little easier to travel up and down I-95 in the mid-Atlantic with an Electric Vehicle thanks to a public-private partnership that brings 26 EV fast charging spots to two travel plazas in Maryland.

In a ceremony at the Maryland House Travel Plaza in Aberdeen, Maryland, Department of Transportation (MDOT) Deputy Secretary R. Earl Lewis, Jr. announced that EV charging stations are now open at the Maryland House and Chesapeake House travel plazas on I-95 in northeast Maryland.

“With the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner, this is great news for our customers traveling up and down the I-95 corridor,” Deputy Secretary Lewis said. The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) and its partner Areas USA, which operates the Travel Plazas, worked with the Electric Vehicle Institute to install eight 50 kW Fast Chargers, four at Maryland House and four at Chesapeake House. The dual-port chargers which support both CHAdeMO and CCS standard connectors were funded with help from a grant from the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA).

Deputy Secretary Lewis added, “The charging stations are free to our customers, and you really can’t beat the convenience. You can grab a bite to eat inside the travel plaza while you’re waiting for your vehicle to charge.”
Read More …

Dunkin’ Donuts DC Fast Charger in Jeannette, PA

Lanny

Grab a coffee and a Boston Kreme while you quick charge your Chevy Bolt EV, Nissan LEAF or other DC Fast Charger compatible Electric Vehicle at Dunkin’ Donuts at 6524 Lincoln Highway, Jeannette, Pennsylvania. MAP LINK

This charging station is about 25 miles east of downtown Pittsburgh on Rt. 30 which is also part of the old Lincoln Highway, the first coast-to-coast road, established in 1913 and designated as the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor for 200 miles in Western Pennsylvania.

This DC Fast Charger is on the EVgo charging network and has both CCS Combo and CHAdeMO connectors and is rated at 50 kW. A message on the screen notes that it is eligible for complimentary access for participants in the Nissan “No Charge to Charge” program.

In addition to the Jeannette store, Dunkin’ Donuts has fast chargers at Pittsburgh area locations in Aliquippa, Canonsburg, Crafton, Etna, Harmar, and West View.

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Martinsburg, WV Supercharger is Open

Lanny


The Tesla Supercharger station in Martinsburg, West Virginia is officially open according to the Tesla “Find Us” web page on Friday, September 29, 2017. Martinsburg shows up on the Tesla Navigation screen as well.

The Martinsburg Supercharger is located at Sheetz #220, 1465 Edwin Miller Blvd, Martinsburg, WV 25401. It has eight stalls with four stalls designated as 15 minute General Parking.

Other Tesla Superchargers are under construction in the Mid-Atlantic, including one at National Harbor, and are anticipated to open soon.

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DC Fast Chargers at Maryland House Travel Plaza on I-95

Lanny

UPDATE: Chargers are now open.

Four Universal DC Fast Chargers Installed

Four DC Fast Chargers have been installed at the Maryland House Travel Plaza on I-95 near Aberdeen, Maryland. These 50 kW fast chargers can be used by electric vehicles with CHAdeMO and SAE Combo (CCS) connectors including the Nissan LEAF, BMW i3 and Chevy Bolt EV.

The DC Fast Chargers are located on the north side of the building on the west side of the parking lot. As of September 24, 2017 they have not been powered on. The units seem to be operated by Electric Vehicle Institute (EVI) of Baltimore. There is a credit card payment mechanism on each unit but the price to charge is not shown. Read More …

Philadelphia Forms Electric Vehicle Policy Task Force

Lanny


Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and City Council have formed the Electric Vehicle Policy Task Force, a panel that will guide future policy on electric vehicles and EV charging in Philadelphia.

“EVs are becoming progressively more common in Philadelphia, but increased EV use raises many complex questions,” said Michael Carroll, Deputy Managing Director for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. “Drawing from a broad and diverse range of stakeholders, this task force will ensure that all perspectives are heard and that realistic, workable policies are set.”

The EV Policy Task Force is working to develop potential solutions and make policy recommendations to encourage electric vehicles as part of the City’s wider multimodal transportation strategy that encourages transit, walking and bicycling.

“I look forward to working with this Task Force to improve the City’s policies for EV usage,” said Councilman David Oh, a member of the Task Force. “I’m confident we can identify and implement policy best practices and infrastructure solutions that will encourage EV ownership while still safeguarding the needs of others.”

Another Task Force member, Councilman Mark Squilla, commented, “Establishing the Task Force with a broad array of perspectives is an important first step in the effort to create an EV policy that will work for all Philadelphians in the years to come.” Read More …

Howard County Drive Electric Week 2017 Celebration

Lanny

Howard County, Maryland celebrated National Drive Electric Week at Clarksville Commons on Saturday, September 16, 2017.

Local EV drivers gathered in the courtyard with about a dozen electric cars representing a variety of plug-in electric vehicles that are available to buy or lease in Maryland, plus a unique home-built electric car made by a local enthusiast using batteries from a Nissan LEAF. The EV drivers happily explained their experience with electric cars to curious members of the community who streamed through the Commons all afternoon.

A representative from the Howard County Office of Community Sustainability explained the active role that the County is taking in supporting plug-in electric vehicles including charging stations at some County facilities, EVs in their fleet and new, all-electric buses with induction charging, the first of their kind in the nation.

In addition to the EV drivers, representatives from local dealerships were on hand including, Winn Kelly Chevrolet, Antwerpen Nissan and Apple Ford, to arrange test drives and explain the available federal and state tax incentives.

The host site, Clarksville Commons, is a retail and office complex developed by an electric vehicle owner who designed the facility with environmental sustainability as an important element. They offer four EV charging stations, solar panels help supply the power, and water collection and reuse are employed in the buildings.

There’s plenty of enthusiasm for electric vehicles in Howard County as shown by the energy of the attendees on Saturday. Expect to see more soon.

Lanny for @PlugInSites

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2017 Update: Geographic Distribution of DC Fast Chargers

Lanny

SAE Combo, CHAdeMO & Tesla Supercharger network comparison. Sept. 12, 2017

Last December when the first Chevy Bolts were being delivered in California, I wondered if it was possible to drive a Bolt EV from coast to coast using SAE Combined Charging Standard (CCS) fast charging stations. I went to the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel Data Center (AFDC) website to see the locations of CCS chargers in the US.

I reported that, as of December 15, 2016, there were 884 CCS charging locations listed but they were mostly concentrated on the east and west coasts with some concentrated islands sprinkled around the middle of the country.

While the number of CCS charger sites has grown about 32% in the past nine months, there hasn’t been much progress in distributing the CCS or CHAdeMO fast chargers along the main travel routes to enable long distance travel through the middle of the country.

As of September 12, 2017 there are 357 Tesla Supercharger locations (2,492 outlets) in the US according to the AFDC Station Locator. There are 1,677 CHAdeMO locations (2,045 outlets) and 1,166 SAE Combo locations (1,413 outlets) in the Station Locator. These numbers include both public and private stations. Read More …

Tesla Superchargers Planned for DC Area Through 2018

Lanny
Tesla “Find Us” Supercharger map as of 09/11/2017

Tesla has updated their Supercharger map on their “Find Us” page to include planned locations that are expected to be built through the end of 2018.

Here are the sites planned for the DC area. Tesla says that exact timing and specific locations may vary. Tesla Find Us Map Link.

Target opening by end of 2017
Beltsville, MD
Gaithersburg, MD (open)
Halethorpe, MD
National Harbor, MD (open)
Fairfax, VA
Tysons, VA
Washington, DC

Target opening by end of 2018
Annapolis, MD
Baltimore, MD
Bethesda, MD
Elkridge, MD
Frederick, MD
Greenbelt, MD
Arlington, VA
Gainesville, VA
Columbia Heights, DC
Washington NE, DC
Washington SE, DC

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Aberdeen & La Vale, Maryland Superchargers Open

Lanny

Just in time for the Labor Day holiday weekend, the Aberdeen, Maryland Supercharger and the La Vale, Maryland Supercharger are open. They appeared on the Tesla Navigation screen as well as the Tesla “Find Us” web page today, Friday, September 1, 2017.

Aberdeen Supercharger is at the Maryland House Travel Center on I-95 and has 8 stalls.

La Vale Supercharger is located at a Sheetz convenience store off I-68 with 8 stalls.

A number of other Tesla Superchargers are under construction in the Mid-Atlantic and are anticipated to open soon.

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Lewes, Delaware Charging Station Ribbon Cutting

Lanny


The Lewes, Delaware Board of Public Works, along with the City of Lewes and Avatar Instruments, hosted a celebration of electric vehicles on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The festivities began with an enthusiastic crowd and about a dozen electric cars gathering at the EV charging stations on Schley Ave. in Lewes. EV drivers had come from as far as Philadelphia, Northern Virginia and Columbia, Maryland to participate.

Around noon, the electric vehicles were escorted by Lewes Police on a cruise through town and along the beach to the town’s second set of charging stations at Otis Smith Park on Savannah Rd. where Mayor Theodore W. Becker along with Darrin Gordon, General Manager, Lewes Board of Public Works, officials from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and Paul and Debra Evalds from Avatar Instruments cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the new EV charging stations.

Video of EV Cruise and Ribbon Cutting. Read More …