Hybrids Left Out In New Electric Vehicle Charging Policy

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – As more people buy electric cars, the City of Beverly Hills has established a new Electric Vehicle (EV) charging policy to prepare the City’s EV charging infrastructure to meet demand. The new policy will go into effect April 2, and encourages more availability and efficient use of the City’s 35 publicly available EV charging stations, the press release said. Currently, 59 Level 2 connections are available in 14 City parking facilities and at Roxbury Park.

Key changes in the EV Charging Policy include: implementing energy and station fees, in addition to facility parking fees; prohibiting plug-in hybrid electric vehicles from charging; and implementing new enforcement regulation inherent in signage.

The new rate structure establishes an Energy Fee of $0.25/kilowatt-hour (kWh), which is applicable
only when the vehicle is actively charging to recover the cost of providing electricity. There will also be a Station Fee of $6/hour, which is applicable after the first two hours of establishing a connection, regardless of whether the vehicle is charging in order to encourage turnover to make the station available for other users, the City press release said.

The new policy reserves the EV charging stations for battery-only electric vehicles to improve access for cars 100% reliant on electric power. All other vehicles, including plug-in hybrids, and any vehicle without an active charging session or not connected to a station may receive a citation and/or towing at the owner's expense, the City said.

Drivers should consult EV charging station signage for details about fees, rates and
restrictions. The proposed EV Charging Policy was based on recommendations from the Traffic and Parking Commission at a Summer 2016 study session.

For more information, please visit www.beverlyhills.org/ev or contact Public Works Customer
Service at 310-285-2467 or AskPw@beverlyhills.org.

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