The free ride ends as the city begins charging for EV station use

Free rides have come to an end for electric vehicle (EV) drivers in Boulder City.

In a recent move by the City Council, the word “adjusted” was replaced with “increased” in relation to the cost of electricity for residents and businesses (i.e. if the cost of electricity paid by the city utility increases, tariffs increase). But if those costs go down, the rates stay the same.) There was a secondary item. In it, city staff recommended that the council establish a rate structure for the use of the four chargers in the parking lot in front of City Hall.

According to a staff report, the chargers have been available for free use to all electric vehicle owners since their installation. On average, the cost to maintain each charger is approximately $200 per year, and the total annual energy cost for all four stations in FY24 was $6,500. These costs have been subsidized by the city in the past.

Utility Joseph Stubitz told the City Council that the proposed fees include a fixed daily connection fee of $0.5667 and recommended setting the energy fee at $0.1708 per kilowatt hour (kWh). An additional terminal charge is an overstay fee of $0.25 per 15 minutes or $1.00 per hour for connections longer than two hours. Stubitz noted that most transactions are completed within this time frame.

He said the fees ensure the city can cover its costs of providing public electric vehicle charging infrastructure, which was $6,500 for fiscal year 2024. He noted that the utilities advisory committee met and unanimously approved both staff recommendations.

In response to a question from Councilwoman Cokie Booth, Stubitz said the proposed rates for electric vehicle charging were reasonable. He said the city is expected to make about $6,000 a year, which would be consistent with the goal of breaking even on public chargers.

The council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation.