EV charging station prices set in Sewickley, service to start in the coming weeks

EV charging stations in Sewickley are one step closer to being put in service.

Council unanimously passed an ordinance on Nov. 12 setting charging rates and regulations for the recently installed devices in the Division Street parking lot.

The charging fee is $3 per hour, billed to the user in one-hour increments, the ordinance states.

If an EV remains connected to the charging station but is no longer actively charging for more than 15 minutes, an additional idle fee of 10 cents per minute shall be imposed until the vehicle is disconnected. People can pay via credit card at the machines.

Borough manager Donna Kaib said rates were set following discussions with Duquesne Light as well as information gathered from residents and council members who own EVs.

The borough also looked at surrounding municipalities that have EV stations.

Kaib said the charging stations are estimated to bring in between $400 and $500 per month. She expected to have a better idea in six months to a year of their real monetary value and what the revenue and expenditures would be.

The manager said the machines should be ready to charge within three weeks.

One of the proposed plans prior to the ordinance was to treat the charging stations as regular parking for EVs.

A driver would pay to charge and also pay the parking rate to use the space.

Borough parking enforcement is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Cost is $1.50 per hour with time available in 10-minute increments.

Council president Cynthia Mullins said those plans were scrapped after the aforementioned conversations with other EV users.

“We worked through that process,” Mullins said. “We had a very good discussion about that and I think we worked toward something that was sensible for the borough and sensible for owners of the EVs.

“The incentive will be to get in there, hook up, get your electricity and then move to a regular parking space because of the fees.”

Charging station spaces are restricted to electronic vehicles only. Use of a charging station for any purpose other than charging a vehicle is strictly prohibited, according to the ordinance.

Other prohibited conduct includes parking an electric vehicle in an EV station space without connecting to the charging station, leaving an electric vehicle connected to a charging station after the charging session has ended for more than 30 minutes without actively charging and damaging or tampering with any borough-owned EV charging equipment.

Ordinance violations may result in fines of $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second offense and $250 for the third and subsequent offenses.

If a non-electric vehicle is parked in a space designated for EV charging, the vehicle may be towed at the owner’s expense.

The ordinance is available for review at the borough office, 601 Thorn Street.

Sewickley is one of the latest Allegheny County municipalities to get charging stations through Duquesne Light’s Community Charging Program, which is open to local governments, school districts, businesses and nonprofits.

There are also stations in Ambridge, Oakmont, Ross, Swissvale, West Mifflin and Wilkinsburg.

Sewickley was able to get $40,000 earlier this year through the utility company’s program for the stations, as well as assistance with installation and location selection. Total project cost was estimated at $75,000.