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

Maryland Anti-ICEing Law Proposed for 2017

December 28, 2016December 28, 2016 Lanny

An “anti-ICEing” law is being proposed for the 2017 session of the Maryland General Assembly. The bill, HB 36 [PDF link], has been pre-filed by Delegate Clarence Lam who represents District 12 with parts of Howard and Baltimore Counties. The bill has 12 additional co-sponsors.

This bill is very similar to HB 839 that passed the House in the 2016 session but died in the Senate. This will be the fifth attempt at “anti-ICEing” legislation in Maryland.

The bill, as introduced, will require “green pavement markings” in addition to a sign that meets applicable requirements in order to be enforceable.

Sign and Green Pavement Markings Specified

A sign designating a plug–in electric drive vehicle charging space shall:
(1) Be at least 18 inches high and 12 inches wide;
(2) Be clearly visible to the driver of a motor vehicle
entering the plug–in electric drive vehicle charging space;
(3) State the maximum fine that may be incurred for a violation; and
(4) Meet any applicable state and federal requirements for parking signs.
(D) A plug–in electric drive vehicle charging space shall be indicated by green pavement markings.

Towing Provision Included

(1) A privately owned parking facility may have a vehicle that is stopped, standing, or parked in violation of this section towed or removed in accordance with subtitle 10A of this title.
(2) (I) A parking facility owned by a local jurisdiction may have a vehicle that is stopped, standing, or parked in violation of this section ticketed, towed, or removed if authorized by local law.

$100 Fine for ICEing

A person who violates this section is subject to a civil penalty of $100.

List of Sponsors

Primary Sponsor: Clarence Lam, Co-Sponsors: Tawanna Gaines, Carol Krimm, Karen Young, Terri Hill, Stephen Lafferty, Frank Turner, David Fraser-Hidalgo, Jimmy Tarlau, Eric Ebersole, Shane Robinson, Eric Luedtke and Barrie Ciliberti.

More Details Soon

Stay tuned to @PlugInSites, we expect to report additional details including a hearing date shortly.

Subscribe to Plug In Sites via email

Happy Birthday East Coast Superchargers

December 21, 2016December 21, 2016 Lanny

Newark and Milford Tesla Superchargers are Four Years Old

Delaware Welcome Center Superchargers, photo: @Lanny, February, 2013.

The first Tesla Supercharger stations to be built outside of California opened four years ago today.

Original Supercharger stalls at Milford Travel Plaza NB, photo: @Lanny, February, 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 enabled Model S drivers to travel between Washington, DC and Boston using Tesla’s exclusive fast charging stations. Before these opened, only six Supercharger sites existed in the world, all in California. Today, Tesla reports 769 Supercharger stations worldwide.

The original Superchargers in Milford have since been updated with new stalls and faster charging speed. In March, 2016, the original site at the Newark Welcome Center was decommissioned and 12 new stalls were built in another area of the Travel Plaza’s parking lot.

Follow @PlugInSites on Twitter and subscribe below for updates on new Tesla Supercharger construction and other EV charging station news.

Subscribe to Plug In Sites via email

US Geographic Distribution of DC Fast Chargers Compared

December 15, 2016December 17, 2016 Lanny

SAE Combo, CHAdeMO & Tesla Supercharger network comparison. Maps: US Dept. of Energy, Alternative Fuel Data Center. Dec 15, 2016

With the recent news that the first Chevy Bolts have been delivered to some customers in California, I wondered if it was possible yet to drive coast to coast with a Bolt using a series of SAE Combined Charging Standard (CCS) fast charging stations. To find out the current state of the distribution of CCS chargers in the US, I visited the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuel Data Center (AFDC) website and this is what I found as of December 15, 2016.

Tesla Superchargers: 327 stations
SAE Combo: 884 stations
CHAdeMO: 1,464 stations (1,956 according to CHAdeMO.com)

Even though there are many more locations for CHAdeMO and SAE Combo stations, the Tesla Supercharger stations are more evenly dispersed, strategically spaced along major Interstate Highways.

The lessons that I learned from attending the recent White House Electric Vehicle Datathon helped me gain insights by looking at the data from both a numerical and geospacial perspective. The Datathon brought stakeholders together to develop best practices for using data to help grow EV adoption and inform the deployment of charging stations.

Looking at the maps, we can only conclude that there needs to be more effort applied to installing SAE Combo and CHAdeMO stations along the Interstates in the middle of the US. The Chevy Bolt and other long-range electric cars cannot fully take advantage of the benefit of 200+ miles of charge until there is a reliable, smartly spaced network of high-speed charging stations. Perhaps the Federal EV Charging Corridors initiative will help bring attention to the needed distribution of DC fast charging infrastructure.

@PlugInSites

Subscribe to Plug In Sites via email

Catoctin Mountain Park

November 10, 2016November 30, 2016 Lanny

pluginsites_catoctin-03

On Monday, November 14, 2016, the EV charging stations at Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland will open for public use. The park has received financial support from the Geller Family Foundation through Adopt a Charger to fund the electricity used by visitors to charge their vehicles.

As we reported in August, Catoctin Mountain Park installed charging stations in November, 2015 but later learned of a policy that National Parks with electric vehicle charging equipment could not provide the electricity for charging at the taxpayers’ expense. The Park was unable to find an acceptable solution for taking payments and attempts to get a waiver of the policy had failed. The staff at the park had redoubled their efforts to find a solution when they were approached by Adopt a Charger and their donor.

Adopt a Charger is a nonprofit organization that helps speed the adoption of electric vehicles by helping to provide EV charging stations which are “adopted” by sponsors. Corporations, organizations, and individuals donate funds to install and maintain charging stations at parks, museums, and other public places.

pluginsites_catoctin-04
The initial funding to purchase and install the electric vehicle charging equipment was provided by a grant from the US Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program in partnership with the National Park Service.

Keep up with EV charging news by following @PlugInSites on Twitter.

Electric Vehicle Charging Corridors Selected for Maryland

November 7, 2016November 7, 2016 Lanny

pluginsites_charging_corridor_map2

Congratulations to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) for having 462 miles of Maryland highways designated as National Electric Vehicle Charging Corridors by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. MDOT had nominated four highways to be considered for inclusion in the newly designated electric vehicle routes. All four of Maryland’s proposed routes were selected.

R. Earl Lewis, Jr., Deputy Secretary for Policy, Planning, & Enterprise Services of MDOT said, “The Maryland Department of Transportation is very excited about the news that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration has designated 462 miles of Maryland highways as Alternative Fuel / Electric Vehicle Corridors. This designation is another great step forward to give drivers the confidence to count on their electric and alternative fuel vehicles for short and long trips. Having electric vehicle corridors in every corner of our state from I-70 in Western Maryland to US 50 all the way to Ocean City will provide great value to Maryland citizens and businesses as the public and private sector work together to expand this infrastructure. Working with our federal, state and regional partners, we can make Maryland’s electric vehicle deployment and greenhouse gas reduction goals a reality.”

Maryland Alternative Fuel Corridors
I-95: From DE state line to VA state line – 110 miles
I-270: Entire length of corridor – 35 miles
I-70/I-68: From Baltimore to WV border – 174 miles
US-50: From Washington, DC border to Ocean City – 143 miles

@PlugInSites

Subscribe to Plug In Sites via email

National Wildlife Visitor Center Solar Canopy Charging

November 3, 2016November 4, 2016 Lanny

pluginsites_natlwildlifevc_1

Have you ever heard of the Patuxent Research Refuge? I hadn’t, until an EV charging station appeared there recently. I decided to take a trip there to check out the dual port ChargePoint station installed under a solar canopy. I’m glad I did. The charging station introduced me to a beautiful lake and hiking trail. If you like the outdoors, you’ll love this EV Plug In Site.

The charging station is in the parking lot of the National Wildlife Visitor Center in the South Tract of the Refuge. The Patuxent Research Refuge was established in 1936 to support wildlife research. Its mission is “to help protect and conserve the nation’s wildlife and habitat through research on critical environmental problems and issues.” It has 12,841 acres of forest, meadows and wetlands.

pluginsites_natlwildlifevc_2

We plugged in and took a leisurely 1.4 mile walk around the perimeter of Cash Lake which supports a variety of waterfowl, songbirds, beaver and other wildlife. There are other short trails in the area totaling 5 miles as well as the Visitor Center and book store which is open 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily. Closed on Federal holidays.

The address is 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel, MD 20708.

The charging station costs $1.00 per hour and you should bring your ChargePoint card or App to activate it.

@PlugInSites

Subscribe to Plug In Sites via email

Touring Gettysburg in Electric Cars 1908 – 2016

October 27, 2016November 19, 2021 Lanny

We recently joined a group of Tesla drivers who gathered in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to drive through the battlefield following the self-guided Auto Tour. We were not the first electric cars to tour the famous Civil War site.

On November, 25, 1908, Oliver Fritchle stopped in Gettysburg on his 1800 mile drive from Lincoln, Nebraska to New York City in his “100 Mile Fritchle Electric” that his company manufactured at a factory in Denver, Colorado. His trip was staged to demonstrate the long distance capability and durability of his electric car and batteries.

When Fritchle pulled up to the Eagle Hotel in Gettysburg at 3:00 that rainy afternoon, a battlefield guide named Harry Gilbert offered his services. Gilbert was the son of a veteran of the Battle of Gettysburg and his father still lived in town. Fritchle and Gilbert toured the Gettysburg battlefield in the car and took pictures of points of interest. Two of those photos are shown above along with the same scene today shown with a Tesla Model S.

Gettysburg did not have an electric vehicle charging station in 1908 so Fritchle charged at the power house for the electric street car system. He converted the system’s 500 volts using an improvised rheostat made from running the current through a barrel of water. Article on Water-Rheostat Construction.

@PlugInSites

Subscribe to Plug In Sites via email

Tesla Supercharger in Laurel, Maryland is Now Open

September 26, 2016 Lanny

The Tesla Supercharger in Laurel, MD quietly opened around 11:30 AM Friday, September 23, 2016. Tesla driver Vera Schoeters was the first to plug in according to the electrical contractors who had just finished some final work and moved the orange cones out of the eight stalls.

Laurel Tesla Supercharger — photo by @verastamps

Construction of the Supercharger station at the Towne Centre at Laurel began on May 4, 2016. Major construction had been completed by June and the site appeared ready to open but the power remained off for several months apparently due to technical issues that were resolved by the crew last week.

On Sunday, September 25th, a group of Tesla owners and enthusiasts gathered for an unofficial ribbon cutting to inaugurate the Laurel Supercharger. Although Tesla hasn’t officially commemorated it, Laurel appears to be the 300th Supercharger station to open in the US according to the statistics on supercharge.info.

About 23 Teslas, including a Roadster and several Model X’s were at the celebration. After the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon, many of the attendees continued the socializing at one of the restaurants in the Towne Centre.

A few hints for new visitors to the Laurel Supercharger:

The closest bathroom is in the lobby of the Regal Cinema.
A Starbucks is in the Harris Teeter grocery store.
Harris Teeter, open 6 AM – midnight, has WiFi and a seating area.

Here is a Directory of Shops & Services at Towne Centre at Laurel.

@PlugInSites

Subscribe to Plug In Sites via email

Laurel Supercharger Opening Soon?

September 13, 2016September 26, 2016 Lanny

UPDATE: Laurel Supercharger is open as of September 23, 2016.

pluginsites_laurel_2open

According to the Property Manager at Towne Centre at Laurel, Tesla plans to open the Laurel Supercharger sometime this week. Lawrence Lashley, who works for Greenberg Gibbons Commercial, the development group that owns and operates the Towne Centre at Laurel, told Plug In Sites in a phone interview that he spoke with Tesla yesterday and that Tesla hopes to open the Supercharger Station by this Saturday, September 17.
Read More …

Funds Nearly Depleted for Maryland Plug-In Vehicle Excise Tax Credit for Fiscal Year 2017

August 29, 2016September 8, 2016 Lanny

2017ExciseTaxCredit1

UPDATE: Funds are now depleted.

Maryland plug-in electric vehicle buyers may want to be aware of this. According to the Maryland MVA, the funds for the Plug-In Vehicle Excise Tax Credit for fiscal year 2017 are nearly depleted.

The following bulletin is dated August 29, 2016

Please be advised that the allotted funds for plug-in electric vehicles for fiscal year 2017 are nearly depleted. Once funds are gone, the program will end and we will not accept or process any excise tax credits for plug-in electric vehicles. Please alert your customers to this information prior to their purchase.

We will issue another Bulletin when the funds are gone.

Follow @PlugInSites on Twitter and subscribe below for updates on EV charging station news.