The City of Winter Park is about to start charging a fee for the use of their EV charging stations, following complaints from the public.
The City of Winter Park installed its first EV (Electric Vehicle) charging station in 2012. Since the launch, the city encouraged EV users to use the stations for free, to incentivize the use of electric vehicles in their downtown.
According to a release from the City of Winter Park, there have been increasing complaints related to vehicles using the free chargers for extended periods, sometimes even overnight. Complaints also shared that EV drivers would use the stations even after their vehicle had been fully charged so they wouldn’t have to find a new parking space.
Now, effective Friday, November 1, the city will begin implementing new EV charger connection rates:
- $1 per 20 minutes of connected time, billed at the start of the charging period.
- Add $10 per hour after 3 hours of connected time, billed at the start of each hour.
Winter Park Police officers will also begin issuing citations to enforce the correct use of the charging stations. EVs must be connected to the charging station when parked in the space and non-EVs are prohibited from parking in spaces designated for EV charging.
The City of WinterPark currently has 11 EV charging stations for residents and guests to charge up while they visit city amenities.
