Plug-In Sites

Maryland is the latest state that will explicitly allow Tesla to sell cars direct to consumers. Earlier today, May 12, 2015, Delegate Kirill Reznik, co-sponsors, representatives from Tesla Motors, and several of us from the public who supported the bill, watched as Governor Larry Hogan signed HB 235 into law at the State House in Annapolis.

The bill signing was part of a ceremony where 350 pieces of legislation passed by the 2015 Maryland General Assembly were signed by the Governor.

Delegate Reznik, pictured above, initiated the effort to open Maryland to Tesla sales when he learned from a news article that Maryland was one of the few states that didn’t allow Tesla employees to engage in sales activities such as helping customers place an order online or even tell visitors to its gallery in Bethesda the price of the car and options.

In February, Jeff Cadman, Bob Erdman and I went to Annapolis to show support for the bill at a hearing in the Environment and Transportation Committee. Bob and I spoke in favor of the bill on a panel as individual citizens.

Model S driver and early Tesla supporter, Peter Soukup, was very happy to see progress in his home state that will ease the way for more Maryland residents to drive a Tesla. This was a good day for electric vehicles and the people who want to drive them.

@Lanny

According to records obtained by PlugInSites under the Maryland Public Information Act, police officers in Howard County were issued guidance that they have no authority to enforce parking restrictions at plug-in vehicle charging stations except on property owned by the county.
In an email dated February 25, 2015 addressed to all sworn police officers, a Sergeant in the Traffic Enforcement Section wrote,

“There has been an increase in parking complaints related to Electric Vehicle Parking. As this technology becomes more prevalent around the country and within Howard County, this trend is expected to continue. There has been some confusion regarding enforcement as there exists some potentually confusing language in the County Code pertaining to where enforcement may take place.”

The email references Howard County Code Title 21.207 (Parking Restrictions) and that it,

“Provides that on property under the County’s jurisdiction, the Department of Public Works may designate a parking space where a plug-in vehicle may be recharged. The section further states that a person may not stop, stand, or park a vehicle in a space that is posted for the exclusive use of plug-in vehicles.

“The issue arises when responding to private property (which is obviously not under the County’s jurisdiction) for these complaints. Further in the title there is a provision that gives Private Property Owners the authority to post reserved parking spaces for the exclusive use of plug-in vehicles and further outlines that parking in these spaces is prohibited.

“This authority to post signs on private property SHOULD NOT be construed as an authority for the Police Department to enforce these violations on private property. If the property is not under the County’s jurisdiction (basically owned by county) there exists no authority for the PO to issue a Plug-in Vehicle Parking Citation.”

Read the entire email.

Ref: Howard Co. Code Sec. 21.207c3.

@PlugInSites

Legislation Passed to Allow up to Four Tesla Stores in the State

Only minutes before the 2015 Maryland General Assembly ended at midnight, House Bill 235 passed the final vote needed to allow Tesla Motors to sell cars direct to customers in Maryland.

At 11:58 PM, @DelegateReznik of Montgomery County, who sponsored the bill, tweeted “Welcome to Maryland @TeslaMotors” with a photo of the tally board in Annapolis showing HB 235 had passed a concurrence vote in the House by 122 yeas to 15 nays.

The bill was supported by the Maryland Dealers Association which agreed to allow as many as six locations. However, General Motors wanted to limit the number to two locations. In the end, the bill was amended to allow as many as four dealer licenses to be issued.

After the bill is signed by the Governor, it will take effect October 1, 2015.

@PlugInSites

(Published March 31, 2015) About a year ago, I contacted my representative on the Howard County Council, Jen Terrasa, and asked her to introduce legislation to prohibit non-plug-in vehicles from parking at electric vehicle charging stations like Montgomery County Bill 32-13 which had recently passed.

Councilwoman Terrasa introduced CB36-2014 in June, 2014. Many of my fellow electric vehicle drivers expressed support for the bill and some even appeared before the Council in person to testify. The bill passed on July 25, 2014 and the Howard County Code was then amended.

The Howard County Police initially responded to complaints of gasoline vehicles blocking EV charging stations, particularly at the Columbia Association Athletic Club parking lot, and wrote citations noting a parking restriction violation of Section 21.207c3.

In recent weeks, the police have refused to write tickets at the Athletic Club telling the EV drivers who were blocked from charging that they can’t enforce it because it is on private property. I initially spoke with Sergeant Baker of the Howard County Police who looked at the law and agreed that it was enforceable on private property if there was a sign. He indicated that he would send out an email to all Howard County Police officers about the clarifications to the parking restrictions at EV charging stations.

Something changed between then and now and I learned from a police officer that they have been told NOT to enforce ICEd charging stations on private property. I called Sgt. Maskola of the Howard County Police. He confirmed that officers have been instructed that they can only enforce the charging station parking restrictions on County property and not on private property. He said there was an opinion issued by the Howard County Office of Law to support this position.

Then I spoke with Cynthia Peltzman at the Office of Law and she said that enforcement on private property would be through the “trespass-tow” law applicable to private property owners in Title 17, Subtitle 6 of the County Code. I’m not an attorney, but it seems logical that private property owners already had the ability to restrict parking, including at charging stations if they wish, under the existing trespass-tow law.


It was my understanding that Howard County Code Sec. 21.207c3 let private property owners decide, by posting a sign or not, if they wanted police enforcement of parking restrictions at charging stations on their property.
“…a person may not stop, stand, or park a vehicle in a space that is posted for the exclusive use of plug in vehicles:
(i) Under subsection (b) of this section for County property; or
(ii) By the property owner for private property.”

I have asked for clarification on the intent of the law created by CB36-2014 and what needs to be done to have it enforced on private property.

@Lanny