Gilbert council to vote on EV charging station fees
GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — Free charging stations may be a thing of the past for electric vehicle owners in the town of Gilbert.
The Town Council is set to vote on proposed fees during the June 18 meeting after a study was completed into possible rates. It could affect two charging stations, one of which is at the Hearne Parking Garage in downtown Gilbert.
Proposed rate structures:
- $0.25 per kWh cost to charge for the first four hours
- $0.70 per kWh cost to charge after four hours
- $5.00 per hour idle fee if not actively charging vehicle
- $175 fine for non-electric vehicles or electric vehicles not plugged into the charging station parked in an electric vehicle space
EV advocates said non-electric vehicles parking in charging stations have been a big problem.
“Have I run into it directly? No, but I know a lot of people that have, and it can be a real frustrating thing to run into,” Drive Electric Arizona VP Peter Culian said. “You’ve got 10 miles left and you need a charge, and you can’t, and it can be extremely frustrating.”
Culian said charging for electricity would be fair.
“Nothing is free. Everything costs a certain amount of money, so you plug an EV, you expect to pay a rate — it’s reasonable,” he said. “You got a gas pump you pay for gas, it’s a reasonable expectation you charge for electricity when you’re charging your car.”
The council’s vote is scheduled for June 18.
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