County Board members have approved a sizeable increase in the cost of charging electric vehicles at county-owned facilities, saying it sets the program up for long-term success and expansion.
“It will enable us in the long term to make more of those investments,” Board member Maureen Coffey said on Oct. 20 as the charging fee was increased from 17.46 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity provided to 30 cents per kWh.
The cost of charging an electric vehicle at an Arlington County station could increase in a few weeks.
County Board members are considering a proposal to increase rates from the current 17.46 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity provided to 30 cents per kilowatt-hour. The roughly 72% increase would cover higher energy costs and help recoup capital costs.
Owners of electric vehicles may have to pay more for a charge at Arlington County facilities starting later this year.
The County Board has directed staff to prepare an ordinance to increase charging rates from the current 17.46 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 30 cents per kWh.
A controversial proposal to build 47 townhouses in the Waverly Hills neighborhood is returning for discussion at an upcoming County Board meeting.
Last month, Board members deferred a vote on the project, which staff opposes but neighborhood organizations and county advisory commissions largely support. It’s one of several items up for consideration at the Board meeting on Saturday.
Nearly 48,000 Arlington vehicles will not be charged any car tax this year, an increase of 32% from 2025, based on tax changes made by County Board members during the fiscal 2027 budget process.
For those that will be taxed, some owners will pay less while others — particularly those owning clean-energy vehicles — will pay more.
Proposed zoning changes headed to County Board members by summer may make it easier to install electric-vehicle charging facilities across Arlington.
Proposed zoning changes include:
County officials now have real-world data on how Arlington Transit’s electric buses operate in winter’s chill.
Frigid temperatures in late January created unique challenges for the county’s fleet, draining batteries more quickly than normal and sometimes requiring a midday recharge, said Ryan Jones, a transportation planner who briefed the county’s Transit Advisory Committee on March 10.
Arlington County Board members approved higher fees for access to county-operated electric-vehicle charging stations this past Saturday (Dec. 14), among other actions.
“We’re not trying to make big bucks. We’re just trying to meet our costs,” Board chair Libby Garvey said after the vote to raise the base fee from the current 14.52 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 17.46 cents.
This reporting was supported by the ARLnow Press Club. Join today to support in-depth local journalism — and get an exclusive morning preview of each day’s planned coverage.
Arlington is rolling out a series of green initiatives, pouring millions into revamping its public infrastructure.
Arlington Public Schools is set to add several new all-electric school buses to its fleet next year.
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Arlington is among 18 Virginia school districts awarded the 2023 Clean School Bus rebate to purchase five new all-electric (or low-emission) buses.
Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring Three Ballston Plaza.
Amid new federal efforts to push for the adoption of electric vehicles, a local software firm is helping truck fleets, property owners and utility companies electrify.
(Updated at 9:30 a.m. on 8/23/23) Arlington County’s efforts to electrify transit just jolted forward.
Arlington’s transit system, ART, is getting its first batch of battery electric buses, or BEB, as it pursues carbon neutrality by 2050, according to a press release. The vehicles will be deployed in late 2024 after work wraps up on the new Operations and Maintenance Facility on Shirlington Road.
