Oak Park electric vehicle drivers will have to start paying a user fee of 25 cents per kilowatt hour to use village-owned charging stations Aug. 26.
This is a move to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a village news release, a goal outlined in Climate Ready Oak Park. The fee will help the village afford to expand the local charging station infrastructure and likewise could encourage more residents to own electric vehicles rather than pollution-emitting gas-powered cars.
The village now owns 13 public electric vehicle charging stations. Drivers can see available stations, monitor their charging and pay for charging at village-owned stations through the ChargePoint app. The Park District of Oak Park also four stations, according to its website.
The village’s stations were free, except for parking lot or garage fees. The PDOP also charges 25 cents per kWh, the market rate, according to village officials. The village board voted 4-2 to implement this fee July 9.
In addition to expanding the village’s charging station network, the fee will help to offset maintenance costs and electricity fees, according to Development Services Director Emily Egan. The village expects about $14,000 in revenue.
Trustees Ravi Parakkat and Cory Wesley voted against the fee. Wesley said he doesn’t think the fee is enough. The fee can be reviewed and changed at the board’s discretion.
The Climate Ready Oak Park plan, adopted in 2022, calls for a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050. Cars and trucks, according to village officials, are the second largest contributor to these emissions in Oak Park. They account for about 25% of emissions.
According to village officials, driving an electric vehicle costs “less than half” a gas-powered car. The village outlines safety tips for electric vehicles, how to register the car with ComEd and how to obtain a permit to install a personal charging station online.
One of Oak Park’s publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations, at The Avenue Garage, was featured as a stop on a cross-country trip. Daphne Dixon, executive director of Live Green Network, left from Connecticut on a cross-country trip to raise awareness of electric vehicles, according to village officials.
Oak Park also received a gold designation in 2023 for the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus EV Readiness Program.
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