Subject
title
Work Session on the Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan
end
Department
PW - Environmental Management
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Mayor and Council hold a work session to review, discuss, and provide direction on the draft Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Plan (Attachment 1). The following feedback is requested from the Mayor and Council to guide next steps:
1. Which of the following option(s) for right-of-way/curbside charging does the Mayor and Council support? (Options are illustrated and described in Table 13 of Attachment 1)
a. Vendor Installed Charger
b. Resident Installed Charger
c. Resident Installed Charging Duct/ Cord
d. Charging cord guidelines
2. Does the Mayor and Council support flexibility in the Zoning Code’s parking space minimums to accommodate accessible aisles in EV charging retrofits of existing parking lots?
3. Which philosophy does the Mayor and Council prefer for setting a user rate for future city owned and operated charging stations?
a. No Fee/Free Charging
b. Cost Recovery
c. Revenue Generation
Change in Law or Policy
The Comprehensive Plan and the Climate Action Plan recommend developing Rockville’s first Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan to expand EV charging infrastructure equitably across the city. Rockville’s Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan identifies ways the city can work with county, state, regional, and federal programs and private entities to facilitate the shift to electric vehicles (EV), meet the community’s growing demand for charging, and ultimately reduce tailpipe emissions and air pollution. The plan also works in conjunction with Rockville’s Pedestrian Master Plan, Bikeway Master Plan and Vision Zero Plan to support a sustainable transportation network.
Discussion
Purpose
The purpose of this work session is to provide the Mayor and Council with an overview of the EV Readiness Plan, review the four EV readiness goals and 26 actions to reduce barriers, expand charging access, and strategically support community EV readiness, and seek policy direction from the Mayor and Council in three areas (Questions 1-3 in Recommendation) to support future plan adoption and implementation.
Background
To prepare for the growing number of plug-in electric vehicles on the road, state and local leaders are advancing community EV readiness by developing EV-related infrastructure plans, policies, and services. Rockville’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Plan serves as a guiding document and plan of action to ensure that EV charging is available, accessible, equitable, affordable, safe and convenient for all who live in, work in, and visit the city and depend on vehicles for travel. Planning requires a coordinated effort among all levels of governments, the contractor community, businesses, property managers, local automobile dealers, community associations, residents, and the local utility to develop and manage a robust regional charging network.
The path to installing and operating EV charging infrastructure (also known as electric vehicle supply equipment, or EVSE) varies by location; therefore, local planning is necessary to assess local community conditions, needs and barriers; proactively plan for rapidly evolving EV technology and markets; and coordinate with local, state, regional and federal EV transportation initiatives. Strategic private and public sector investment is needed to develop the EV infrastructure network. The planning process involved coordination with the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Montgomery County and the Rockville community. Rockville has an opportunity to support emerging technologies by removing barriers for EV adoption and closing EV infrastructure gaps when possible.
By identifying the general locations and types of chargers needed to serve residents, businesses, visitors, and city fleet, the city will be better prepared to explore federal and state infrastructure funding and partnership opportunities to expand public charging to serve all that live, work, and visit the city. The plan focuses on electrification of light-duty passenger vehicles in the community and the city’s municipal fleet.
Plan Guiding Principles
The following guiding principles were utilized during the planning process:
1. Envision electric vehicles as one element in a sustainable transportation network that emphasizes biking, walking, rolling, public transit, and other low-emission travel modes.
2. Seek opportunities for partnerships, grants, rebates, incentives, resource-sharing and technical assistance to reduce costs and support electric vehicle adoption in the city fleet and the community.
3. Expand outreach and access to electric vehicles and charging to all Rockville communities, especially underrepresented groups and people of color, people with disabilities, seniors, renters, multi-unit residents, low-income residents, small businesses, and those without access to driveways or garages who depend on vehicles for transportation.
4. Reduce unnecessary hurdles and streamline the city’s plan review and permitting processes, monitor evolving technologies and best practices, and develop guidelines and policies to proactively support EV charger installation and EV adoption.
5. Work with community members to identify charging station needs and identify ways to support private investment in charging infrastructure. Identify locations on city property and right-of-way - curbside, parks, community centers, and other facilities - to fill gaps in the public charger network. Work with Montgomery County, State of Maryland, and other institutional partners to do the same.
6. Monitor plan implementation and adjust as necessary.
Projected EV Charging Demand
According to projections from the plan’s technical consultant, EV registrations are projected to grow to at least 6,976 by 2030 and 30,621 by 2045. An expanded network of EV charging infrastructure is needed to serve this growth in electric vehicles, especially at homes, workplaces, public facilities, parks, multi-unit buildings, commercial areas, transit centers, and destination areas.
Community Feedback
Community feedback was sought throughout plan development, as summarized in Section 1.5 and Appendix B (Attachment 1). The plan’s goals and recommended actions are designed to address common themes received during the community engagement process:
• Costs: Concern for the additional costs associated with purchasing EVs, installing charging, and to use public charging. Need for support and assistance on options to lower costs, access incentives, and reduce EV installation costs.
• Education and outreach: Overall interest in more information on EVs in general, where to find existing community EV charging stations, planned locations of new EV charging stations, as well as ways to access incentives, grants, and other ways to save money.
• Charging access for multi-unit and townhouse communities with shared parking: Residents in multi-unit, condo and townhouse communities with shared parking have limited access to charging and barriers to installations. Support is needed to expand charging access.
• Homes lacking garages or driveways: Requested safe charging solutions for homes without garages or driveways (including addressing issues of running cords over sidewalks).
• Accessible charging: Stressed the importance of including accessible charging.
• Unclear plan/permitting process: Requested streamlined and simplified process to install charging.
• Charging gaps: Suggested public EV charging locations to fill gaps (see map in Figure 22 of Attachment 1).
Recommended EV Readiness Actions
To meet the growing demand for EVs and guide city policies, programs, and projects the EV Readiness Plan identifies four goals and 26 actions that focus on: 1) EV ready codes, policies, and procedures; 2) robust and equitable charging network; 3) clean municipal fleet; and 4) inclusive public engagement and oversight. These goals and the actions are summarized below and the detail for each action is described in Chapter 7 (Attachment 1).
Goal 1: EV Ready Codes, Policies and Procedures
Update and align codes, policies, guidelines, permitting and inspection processes to reduce barriers, streamline and expedite EV charging infrastructure development.
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1.1 Update City Codes |
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1.1.1 |
Update the Building Code and Property Maintenance Regulations (Chapter 5) |
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1.1.2 |
Update the Forest and Tree Preservation Ordinance (Chapter 10.5) |
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1.1.3 |
Update the Streets, Roads, Rights-of-Way, and Public Improvements Code (Chapter 21) |
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1.1.4 |
Update the Traffic Code (Chapter 23) |
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1.1.5 |
Update the Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 25) |
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1.2 Develop guidelines and standards |
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1.2.1 |
Develop a simplified EV charging application and guide to streamline plan review, permitting and inspections |
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1.2.2 |
Develop right-of-way EV charging guidelines and a streamlined approval process to serve residents without access to garages, driveways or dedicated parking spaces |
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1.2.3 |
Establish design standards for public EV charging stations |
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1.3 Advocate for safe, reliable, affordable and equitable electric mobility |
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1.3.1 |
Advocate for government and utility policies and programs to support EVs and e-micromobility opportunities. |
Goal 2: Robust and Equitable Charging Network
Expand access to EV charging to equitably serve residents, workers, visitors, and the municipal fleet.
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2.1 Coordinate with partners to meet charging demands |
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2.1.1 |
Engage with residential properties to expand access to home charging |
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2.1.2 |
Engage with commercial properties to expand access for workplace, fleet, and destination charging |
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2.1.3 |
Coordinate with Montgomery County to expand public charging |
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2.1.4 |
Coordinate with Pepco to expand public charging and ensure grid capacity for charging |
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2.1.5 |
Identify City-owned properties and rights-of-way in gap areas and leverage outside funding and partnerships to expand public charging infrastructure |
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2.1.6 |
Promote EV infrastructure to support other e-mobility opportunities, such as e-bikes, e-scooters, EV ride-hailing, or EV car-sharing services |
Goal 3: Clean Municipal Fleet
Implement a multi-year fleet electrification strategy that aligns with fleet vehicle replacement schedules, duty cycles, and EV infrastructure.
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3.1 Electrify eligible vehicles and equipment |
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3.1.1 |
Replace eligible non-emergency light-duty fleet with electric vehicles. |
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3.1.2 |
Monitor and pilot clean technologies for medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles |
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3.1.3 |
Monitor and pilot clean vehicle technologies for police vehicles |
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3.1.4 |
Monitor and pilot clean technologies for off-road equipment |
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3.1.5 |
Coordinate an interdepartmental clean fleet team for training and management |
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3.2 Deploy electric charging infrastructure |
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3.2.1 |
Implement the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Capital Improvement Program (CIP GA23) |
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3.2.2 |
Leverage outside funding and resources to support fleet EV electrification and infrastructure planning, design and installation |
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3.2.3 |
Operate, maintain and manage EV charging infrastructure |
Goal 4: Inclusive Public Engagement and Oversight
Conduct inclusive and equitable public engagement to support EV adoption and monitor plan implementation.
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4.1 Outreach and Engagement |
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4.1.1 |
Coordinate with community partners to conduct an inclusive public education and engagement campaign on electric vehicles and charging infrastructure |
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4.1.2 |
Promote the regional electric vehicle purchasing cooperative (EVPC) to increase the scale and rate of EV adoption |
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4.2 Execute plan and monitor progress |
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4.2.1 |
Monitor and report plan progress through the Climate Action Plan annual report |
Feedback Questions
Staff requests Mayor and Council feedback on plan actions and specific feedback on three policy questions. The three policy questions involve curbside residential charging, parking minimum flexibility, and charging rate guidance for potential future city-hosted and city-operated chargers. These policies, like many other actions in the plan, would require changes or additions to the City Code or standards, details or guidelines. Any proposed changes will be integrated with ongoing Code update processes, several of which are already underway, such as the Zoning Code Re-Write. The purpose of gauging Mayor and Council feedback at this stage is to receive direction from Mayor and Council to enable staff to research and fine-tune the preferred approaches. These approaches can then be incorporated in the existing code update processes which will come back before Mayor and Council through separate initiatives in the future.
Question #1: Which of the following option(s) for right-of-way/curbside charging does the Mayor and Council support? (Options are illustrated and described in Table 13 of Attachment 1)
a. Vendor Installed Charger
b. Resident Installed Charger
c. Resident Installed Charging Duct/ Cord
d. Charging cord guidelines
Related Actions and Codes: Action 1.1.3 - update Streets Code, Chapter 21 and/or associated Standards and Details; Action 1.2.2 - ROW charging guidelines
Background: Right of way/curbside charging options can assist residents who lack garages or driveways, making convenient charging at or near home challenging. The City has received requests to enable more choices that consider site conditions, installation costs, pedestrian safety, and serve to fulfill gaps in the public charging network in the near-term. In some cases, properties without driveways are able to install a driveway or parking pad, but this can be cost-prohibitive, and can be challenging due to stormwater impacts, trees, and space constraints. Several other local governments have pursued the four models described on Table 13 on p. 91 in the draft EV Plan to assist with solving these issues. No single model addresses all sites and needs, each model has pros and cons. A combination or all would assist with expanding equitable charging access.
Question #2: Does the Mayor and Council support flexibility in the Zoning Code’s parking space minimums to accommodate accessible aisles in EV charging retrofits of existing parking lots?
Related Actions and Codes: Action 1.1.5 - update Zoning Code (Chapter 25)
Background: Rockville’s Zoning Ordinance details parking space requirements for several use categories broken into additional sub-categories, such as residential, institutional, commercial, miscellaneous, and industrial and service. Rockville’s zoning ordinance does not currently have any EV- or EVSE-specific parking policies. The current effort to rewrite the zoning code provides an opportunity to ensure that the code is in synch with EV readiness policies, building codes and the Comprehensive Plan. Adding EV chargers to an existing parking lot is complicated by parking requirements when it reduces the total number of parking spaces because space is needed for the provision of a 60’’ access aisle to the station, as part of the design recommendations from the U.S. Access Board illustrated in Figure 14 in Attachment 1. It is generally not practicable to add parking to an existing parking lot to meet minimum parking standards because of space constraints, conflicts with utilities and other site conditions, and the potential to trigger compliance with other ordinances, such as stormwater management. This is an example of a trade-off that should be factored into future updates to the City’s local codes and ordinances to reduce barriers to providing accessible EV charging on existing developed sites. One option includes removing the requirement to meet parking minimums for retrofit applications solely involving the installation of EV charging stations as an accessory use.
Question #3: Which philosophy does the Mayor and Council prefer for setting a user rate for future city owned and operated charging stations?
a. No Fee/Free Charging
b. Cost Recovery
c. Revenue Generation
Related Actions and Codes: Action 1.1.4 - update Traffic Code (Chapter 23); Action 2.1.5 - City-owned public charging
Background: When the local government is the owner/operator of an EV charging station, it raises the issue of whether to include a fee for public use of these stations. The Traffic Code currently does not address EV charging and may be updated to authorize a fee for the use of EV charging stations within the City’s operational control, similar to parking permits or metered parking. Jurisdictions have different philosophies for rate setting. Some offer free charging, usually based on a limited timeframe or in conjunction with paid parking. Some jurisdictions establish an initial fee and routinely update the fee via resolution to reimburse the City for actual electricity use, as well as the proportional costs associated with the management, operation, maintenance, and replacement costs of charging stations. Other jurisdictions take a revenue generation approach and may include higher fees and/or fees to encourages drivers to vacate a station when finished charging. See regional examples in slide #24 of the presentation (Attachment 3).
Next Steps
The plan provides a recommended framework for expanding access to EVs and charging, including streamlining and aligning an EV charging policy and permitting framework and expanded public education and outreach. The plan identifies potential communities and neighborhoods that are candidates for EV charging expansion; however, given that each has unique site conditions and community needs, the plan does not include prescriptive plan for public charging infrastructure installations. The next steps are for interdepartmental coordination to streamline the EV charging plan and permitting framework and coordination with local jurisdictions, utility companies, and potential site owners and managers can discuss site recommendations, partnership opportunities, strive to address barriers, refine cost estimates for charging equipment and installation, and continue to seek funding and leverage partnerships. One item to note is that uncertainty with federal EV policies, tax credits and grants may impact plan implementation and projects. Staff will continue to monitor federal policies for potential local impacts.
Mayor and Council History
This is the first work session scheduled before the Mayor and Council to discuss the draft EV Readiness Plan.
Public Notification and Engagement
Extensive public outreach efforts have been underway for the plan since July of 2022. The project’s initial outreach and engagement phase took place between December of 2022 through February 2023. During this period, staff estimates that approximately 432 individuals provided feedback of some kind.
A full summary of engagement activities and feedback received can be found in Section 1.5 Community Engagement (page 24) and Appendix B (page 120) in Attachment 1. Meetings were added to the City calendar, publicized using the city’s typical communication avenues, and open to the public. Key outreach activities include:
• Launched the Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan development process with a virtual public joint meeting of the Environment Commission and the Transportation and Mobility Commission on July 27, 2022 for initial input for plan scope and public engagement.
• Hosted a virtual open house on December 8, 2022 to present initial findings from the technical consultant, ICF International, on EV existing conditions and needs assessment for public feedback.
• The City launched a community engagement webpage, at <http://www.engagerockville.com/evplan>.
• Three surveys were conducted to obtain input from different audiences: 1) Residents and Visitors; 2) City of Rockville Employees, and 3) Organizations and Larger Property Owners. The surveys were available from December 2022 through February 2023. The surveys and webpage included a map for the public to indicate locations where chargers should be added to the network to inform the charger needs assessment. The surveys received a total of 244 responses.
• In person tabling at the Twinbrook Community and Recreation Center (12/30/2023) and Lincoln Park Community Center (1/4/2023).
• Coordination with regional EV planning efforts led by Maryland, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and Montgomery County between 2022 through 2024.
A second phase of public engagement occurred once analysis and actions for the Draft Plan were prepared, with about 49 total touchpoints and 15 sets of written comments (excluding the Environment Commission) as of February 3:
• Staff presented the draft plan analysis and action recommendations and received feedback at a listening session on October 10, 2024.
• The draft plan was released on January 17, 2025 for public comments and the City continues to collect feedback through the project page at <https://engagerockville.com/evplan> <http://www.engagerockville.com/towncenter>. Staff utilized Rockville Reports, City social media channels, email blasts, and newsletters to inform the community about the opportunity to review and provide comments on the draft Plan.
• A briefing was provided for the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board on Thursday, January 23.
• The Environment Commission discussed the plan on Thursday, February 6.
The attached table summarizes the public comments and staff responses (Attachment 2). Staff has already incorporated the edits to address public comments in the revised plan. Highlights include:
• Many positive reviews of the plan overall
• Several commenters stated that station outages are a continual source of difficulty and frustration for EV drivers in Rockville and elsewhere. Some commenters referred to Tesla as one model of a reliable charging experience.
• Some commented that the City should not offer charging for free with taxpayer dollars; others argued that rates for public charging are too high and variable.
• One commenter emphasized the need to integrate and prioritize ADA accessibility of EV chargers throughout the plan and in implementation.
• There were comments about incorporating more EV/ solar opportunities to aim to meet electric vehicle electricity usage with renewable energy.
• Several comments provided helpful edits to clarify meaning and elaborate on some concepts.
Staff will continue to monitor and revise/respond to additional comments while the draft plan is under consideration.
Boards and Commissions Review
Several boards and commissions have participated in plan development and review; including but not limited to the Environment Commission, Transportation & Mobility Commission, Human Rights Commission, Human Services Advisory Committee, Recreation and Parks Advisory Board, and Planning Commission.
The Environment Commission and Transportation and Mobility Commission were invited to the joint EV Plan launch event on July 27, 2022. Many Boards and Commissions were invited to the EV Plan Open House on December 8, 2022, and notified of the survey, which several completed. The Boards and Commissions listed above were also notified in early 2025 when the Draft EV Readiness Plan was published of the draft plan and invited to comment. The Recreation and Parks Advisory Board received a briefing on January 23 and provided feedback. The Environment Commission was briefed and provided guidance throughout the plan development process and endorsed the draft plan at their February 6 meeting.
Next Steps
Staff will make revisions based on the feedback from the Mayor and Council. Staff will bring the revised plan to the Mayor and Council on March 24, 2025, for final direction and/or possible adoption.