Spotted: Car-charging station on Morris Street
This episode of Spotted comes courtesy of a loyal reader. Like that friendly neighborhood tipster, if you see something, say something – in an email to punk@passyunkpost.com.
Did you know that you can get a car charging station installed for a street parking spot?
This video was submitted by one of our readers
We showed you this one on Wharton St. before, but a new one has appeared on Morris St. between 7th and 8th streets. Ever wonder how to get one for yourself? Here’s how.
First, go through the application process with the Philadelphia Parking Authority. If the PPA approves the charging station, it is then necessary to acquire a permit to install the station in the desired location.
The installation of the station would include either drilling under the sidewalk or digging a trench. Once installed, it would only be able to be used by anyone who has a key to the charging station.
Before you can even get to the point of installation, there’s a matter of the cost and maintaining the station on a yearly basis. The application fee is $50, in addition to the cost of $150 per 20 feet of space used for the station, or $300 per metered space that needs to be removed for the installation of the charging station (In Center City and University City the prices are upped to $250 per 20 feet of space and $500 per metered space removal). After the installation fees, it is then necessary to pay a $75 yearly renewal fee.
Although the application does ask for the vehicle information of the car you’re applying for the spot for, it is not necessary to have the vehicle at the time of application. So you can get the station, then the car.
There are only a limited number of these charging stations throughout the city so far.
You can find the application to apply for one of these charging stations here.
What do you think of these car-charging stations?
What is the point of a 75 dollar annual renewal fee?
I can understand the rate hike for metered space, but the annual fee seems like a kick in the teeth.
I would gladly pay $75 a year to have a guaranteed parking spot in front of my house
Basically this gives the person a private parking space in front of their house on a public street. Doesn’t something seem off about that?
Meh, people with handicap spots can already do it. And you’re paying the city a lot more than everyone else for the privilege.
They’re going to take up a parking spot in their neighborhood any way, why not in front of their own house?
Because it’s unfair to everyone else who would love to pay a relatively small amount of money to have guaranteed parking every time they returned home from work, the grocery, a quick errand, etc?
Now $100/year, plus the hundreds in start-up costs, is a relatively small amount of money? Because when the city announced that the cost of parking permits was going up to only $50 for a second car people FLIPPED.
E, I understand your point.
I moved from a rental on South 4th street, where parking was occasionally limited.
So I bought a house in Gray’s Ferry ( garage attached ) with the possibility of installing my own charging station, which I never use since there is plenty of parking available and I have yet to purchase an electric car.
The End.
This doesn’t seem fair to neighbors. I agree with the previous comment, if the city would like to charge me this much for a guaranteed spot right in front of my house I’d happily pay. But it would screw up the neighborhood.
This is why you read articles about neighbors fighting handicapped parking.
Is it really guaranteed? Handicap spots aren’t technically guaranteed, they are available to anyone with a H/C placard to park in. Are the charging stations different – or can anyone with an electric car park in it? If that latter is the case, you’re paying $75/year for the privilege of having charing infrastructure on your block……
I’m fairly certain that the handicap spots you see in the middle of a block are tied directly to a car’s license plate, to ensure the homeowner is the one parking there. Metered spots are for anyone with a handicap plate.
Electric car spaces are not guaranteed – anyone with an electric car can park there, although the charging stations are usually for the homeowner’s electric car as the homeowner is paying for their purchase, installation, and electric usage.
From the application form:
“An EVPS should not be treated as a personal parking spot. Anyone with an electric vehicle is allowed to
park in the EVPS. Any abuse of the EVPS (i.e., cones, telling other electric vehicle operators they are
forbidden to park in the EVPS, etc.) will result in the removal of the space. ”
So its not REALLY private parking….
Do I really have to explain this? It is essentially private parking because no one without an electric car can use that spot and only the owner can use the charging stations “Once installed, it would only be able to be used by anyone who has a key to the charging station.”
So, any other neighbor with an electric car could use the spot but they would need to get their own personal electric car parking space to charge their own vehicle. And the problem perpetuates.
Not fair? So what. If you want a private charging spot, get yourself an electric car. You people act like children when it comes to parking in this town.
We don’t all stubbornly ride bikes in 18° weather… Parking is going to be an issue… GM had a massive recall last year and still increased their total unit sales… Sales of ALL autos in general accross the board have continued to rise… So… Go stand outside a car dealership with a sign if you don’t like car owners so much…
You should give it a try! The image of an overweight jabroni in velour track suit on bike is priceless.
Hey e move to the suburbs you will absolutely be guaranteed your own parking spot. I think it’s great maybe more people will get electric cars. I’m a contractor and we have done a bunch it is only going to get more popular
What if the street only has parking on one side??
FWIW, handicap spots are not reserved. Anyone with a placard/plate can use any of them.
If everyone in Philadelphia put as much passion into real problems as they do with parking, we would be a world class city.
So conflicted about this. Ideally this is just a transitional policy meant to incentivize people to buy electric cars and put in a critical mass of stations. After the tipping point where electric cars outnumber gasoline powered cars, the city could (perhaps with federal grant money) fill in the gaps, pay homeowners for their charging stations and turn all the stations/parking spots back into public, on-street spaces available to any cars.
The best way to avoid any of these headaches is just to figure out how to live an “owned-car-free” lifestyle by doing car share supplemented with rentals for longer trips and Uber/taxis. If everyone who didn’t need a car for a daily commute to a non-transit accessible workplace or as a work vehicle did this, that would free up plenty of parking spaces!
Spot on Dan P. Cars in themselves are the problem. As I previously noted, what about streets with parking only on one side?? There are plenty of streets in South Philly like that. What only people who live on one side can have electric cars??