Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Transportation Committee

HB 2330

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Establishes distinction between electric vehicle charging stations made available for public use and those made available for private use or uses other than charging.
Vehicles parked at public-use charging stations remain subject to a parking infraction if not connected to charging equipment when parked, while those parked at private or broader-use charging stations are no longer subject to a parking infraction.
Charging station signage may include information on use type and time of day or length of time restrictions.

Background:

Charging equipment for plug-in electric vehicles is classified by the rate at which batteries are charged. Level 1 charging is through a standard 120 volt (V) alternating current (AC) plug and can fully charge a battery pack in 16 to 24 hours. These are typically used when charging at home and would not generally be found at electric vehicle parking spaces. Alternating current Level 2 charging is through 240V, is commonly installed at electric vehicle owners' homes or at public charging stations, and can fully charge a battery pack in four to six hours. Direct current (DC) Level 2 charging typically uses 208/480V AC three-phase input and provides for rapid charging along heavy traffic corridors at installed stations. These can fully charge a battery pack in less than 30 minutes.

According to state law adopted in 2009, the state is obligated to lease space for such charging stations in certain state-owned highway rest stops and state parking and maintenance facilities, local jurisdictions are required to allow for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations under development regulations, and the Department of Commerce was tasked with developing a model ordinance for local governments in siting and installing this infrastructure, which they published in coordination with the Puget Sound Regional Council in 2010. A number of jurisdictions have since adopted ordinances governing electric vehicle charging stations.

Under a state law adopted in 2013, an electric vehicle charging station must be identified using vertical signage that indicates the station is only for electric vehicle charging. The signage must conform to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), published by the Federal Highway Safety Administration. The MUTCD provides guidance on a variety of traffic control devices to state and local traffic engineers and contains a standard sign for use by governments to indicate the location of an electric vehicle charging station. The electric vehicle charging station must also be identified by green pavement markings. Supplementary signage is permitted. It is currently a parking infraction, with a monetary penalty of $124, for any person to park a vehicle in an electric vehicle charging station provided on public or private property if the vehicle is not connected to the charging equipment.

There are currently 1,161 AC Level 2 or DC Level 2 charging stations available to the public for use in the state at 566 sites (there are also 181 charging stations exclusively available for private use). Roughly nine out of 10 of the charging stations that are available for public use are AC Level 2 charging stations. Approximately 73 percent of these charging stations are located on privately owned property (843 stations), 20 percent are located on local government-owned property (229 stations), 6 percent are located on state-owned property (74 stations), and 1 percent is located on utility-owned property (14 stations). As of July 2015, there were 9,216 battery electric vehicles and 12,930 plug-in hybrid vehicles registered in the state.

Summary of Bill:

A distinction is established between electric vehicle charging stations made available for public use and those made available for private use or uses other than charging. A private property owner of the location where an electric vehicle charging station is located may elect not to make the station available for public use and may designate the vehicles and circumstances under which the electric vehicle charging station may be used. Charging station signage may include information indicating whether the station is available for public or private use, or both, or any time of day or length of time restrictions on use of the station if applicable.

Vehicles parked at public use charging stations remain subject to a parking infraction if not connected to charging equipment, while those parked at private use charging stations or stations available for uses other than charging are no longer subject to a parking infraction where the station is identified as for private use or uses other than charging.