Last month, as part of a pilot program, the first set of public electric vehicle charging stations for MCPS was installed at the Carver Educational Service Center in Rockville. The stations were installed at no cost to MCPS through a partnership with one of its electric utility providers, Pepco, an Exelon company. The installation is one of the actions MCPS is taking to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the region and the school system, as identified in Board of Education Policy ECA, Sustainability. This updated policy was unanimously adopted by the Board on June 28, 2022. Emissions from on-road transportation, such as from cars and buses, accounted for 36% of 2018 GHG emissions in the county. Increasing the number of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure is a goal for the county and the school system.
Additional pilot charging stations will be installed at Gaithersburg Middle School and are expected to be operational in July. These stations are available to be used by MCPS staff, students and the general public. Both locations will have Level 2 chargers that can charge a vehicle’s electric battery from empty in 4-10 hours, or a plug-in hybrid battery from empty in 1-2 hours. The cost per kWh is $0.18. There are three ways to pay:
- Shell recharge solutions mobile app: Download the app for iPhone or Android, scan the QR code on the charger and follow the directions on the charger’s screen.
- Credit card: To use a credit card, call 855-900-PLUG (7584).
- RFID card: If you have a radio-frequency identification (RFID) card, scan it on the charger to pay.
To learn more about the MCPS electric vehicle program, the county and to locate other charging stations, click hereor visit Pepco for more information. If you have additional questions, send an email here or visit the Division of Sustainability and Compliance webpage to learn about the sustainability initiatives and programs in MCPS. Courtesy of MCPS.