Loudoun County Adds New Fee For Electric Vehicle Charging

ASHBURN, VA — Charging an electric vehicle at a Loudoun County-owned charger may cost more starting on Tuesday.

On July 1, Loudoun County government will start its new fee structure at county-operated electric vehicle charging stations. The flat fee of $2.10 first 17.5 kilowatt hours of electricity is remaining the same. Vehicle owners will be charged a new fee of $0.12 per kilowatt hour beyond the first 17.5 kilowatt hours. In addition, vehicle owners will pay a 10 percent fee for each transaction.

The county cited its average annual electricity rate increasing from $0.08 to $0.12 per kilowatt hour and the increasing length of electric vehicle charging sessions.

Kilowatt hours stored in vehicles can vary by each type of electric vehicle. It takes about 30 kilowatt hours for an electric vehicle to get a range of 100 miles.

"The new fee structure will allow the county to fully recover the cost of delivering electricity to the EV charging station customers," the county said in a news release.

The county has 55 publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations and continues to increase locations. Last year, the county started charging electric vehicle charging fees for its county-owned Metrorail parking garages — Ashburn South and Loudoun Gateway and increased its fee at the Harmony Park and Ride lot. It also opened new electric vehicle charging stations with the $2.10 flat fee. Vehicle owners pay at the charging station through a mobile app connected to a credit card or debit card.

A map of charging stations is available here.