WHEREAS, In 2007, City Council passed Bill No. 070788 to allow electric vehicle (EV) owners to apply for a reserved on-street parking space with a curbside charger as designated by the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA). The estimated the total cost of obtaining an EV charging station and parking space ranged from $1,400 to $3,050; and
WHEREAS, In essence, the EV parking space program converted public spaces into private, exclusive-use spaces with a high cost threshold to access. Few cities in the United States offer special accommodations for EV parking spaces on public streets; and
WHEREAS, It became clear - after testimony from residents and industry experts in public hearings - that the City’s EV parking plan was not sustainable or practical; and
WHEREAS, In 2017 and 2018, City Council adopted a moratorium on additional EV parking space applications and an Electric Vehicle Policy Task Force was created with the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS) to review the issue and offer recommendations for making EV parking more publicly accessible; and
WHEREAS, Since the EV parking program was discontinued and the Task Force issued its report and recommendations, it’s unclear what action has been taken by the Administration to implement public, high-speed EV charging; and
WHEREAS, EVs continue to become more prevalent and incentivized at the state and federal level. Billions of dollars are being made available from President Biden’s infrastructure bill for charging infrastructure and development; and
WHEREAS, After years of complacency due to COVID-19, now is the time for the City to develop plans for public EV infrastructure; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes Council’s Committee on Streets and Services and Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy to hold hearings on the Administration’s plan for public electric vehicle charging.
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