County to discuss EV charging station fees

Summit County charging station at the Summit County Library Photo: (Photo: TownLift // Kevin Cody)

SUMMIT COUNTY — A discussion of electric vehicle charger usage fees will occur at the Summit County Council meeting on Wednesday, July 27. The recommendation is for a market rate fee of $.43/kWh to be implemented at three county fast chargers while level II charging will remain free for all users. County fleet vehicles will remain exempt from the fees.

All county-owned and operated charging stations have been free to use since installation in 2016. There has been a pin in revisiting the potential of fees once more information has been gathered, including electricity costs, warranties, networking, service contracts, and how much charges have been utilized.

In 2o21, county chargers used a total of 77,350 kWh. The county’s three fast charges received much higher usages than the 12 level II stations.

If the fee were implemented, the current estimation would have the county recovering approximately $20,553 annually. The prices would only account for about 47% of the total cost to operate the fast chargers annually. The entire operation cost of the chargers was $56,238 in 2021, with nearly half of the cost coming from the three fast chargers.

The new fees could affect the usage of the alternative energy corridor that runs through Summit County. Should the council decide against the fee implementation, the current status quote will remain.