EV Charging Stations

 

By Elvis Reyes, CAPP

EV’s and EV charging stations have been a popular topic of conversation within the parking industry over the course of the last four to five years. That conversation intensified following COVID as Cities and States across the Country felt a migration of folks moving from west coast and northeastern regions where EV’s have shown to be more popular into cities that have been slower to make the switch.

States such as Florida and Georgia which had an influx of folks move in post pandemic had to make the switch to help better serve the needs of folks with EV’s at residential buildings and retail parking areas. So how do we balance offering preferred parking spaces to EV owners while at the same time not pushing members of our community that have had access to preferred spaces for years to the side?

Offering incentives to those that have decided to “go green” will certainly help a facility obtain a park smart certification but will also cause some pushback from long term members of the community. Newer multifamily parking facilities will push us to install charging stations while at the same time not offering this as a free service, charging the consumer per KW. That certainly helps the developers cover building cost but may also keep stake holders at bay knowing that the option is there but it does not mean we are catering to EV owners.

Elvis Reyes, CAPP, is the General Manager for The Car Park. Elvis can be reached at ereyes@thecarpark.com.