As the popularity of electric vehicles rises, so, too, does the need for cities to accommodate owners of those vehicles. The City of Delaware has gotten in on the act by establishing two spots in the city’s East William Street parking lot as electric vehicle charging ports.
The two stations were created following a $20,000 grant from AEP, which covered the costs of the equipment and will pay for the company’s service to administer the two charging stations. The stations are equipped with Level 2 charging ports and are capable of providing an electric vehicle with 25 miles of driving distance per hour of charge.
Currently, the charging stations still need to pass final inspections and have not been turned on yet.
During last week’s Delaware City Council meeting, an ordinance to set restrictions and fees for the parking spaces was discussed and passed. Those restrictions include a three-hour maximum charging time between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. when the parking spots will be in higher demand.
Users will pay for the port usage through an app from ChargePoint, a vehicle charging station account provider. That money will subsequently go back to the city to cover the cost of the electricity provided. Rates will be determined based on the current electric utility rates, as well as the operation and maintenance costs associated with the ports, and will increase significantly after three hours to discourage drivers from remaining parked past the three-hour maximum.
There will be no maximum charge time between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Deputy City Engineer Matt Weber said the rate will probably be around 75 cents per hour during the three-hour window, but the rate will jump up to $5 per hour after the time limit is reached. He said there will be some fluctuation in the usage rates depending on what the city needs to recuperate the cost of electricity.
Fines and penalties are still to be determined for individuals who park nonelectric cars in the charging port spots.
Weber added that if the city is getting more money back through the rates than is needed, it would be the city’s responsibility to lower the rates at the charging stations. Once the grant money that covers the cost of administering the service to the parking spots runs out, which will be in five years, the rates will need to be adjusted then as well to factor in the additional cost to the city.
The ports are expected to be turned on and available by the end of the month.
