Politics & Government

Naperville Enacts Charging Fee for Electric Vehicles

Naperville residents who utilize city charging stations for their electric vehicles will now have to pay a fee of $1.50 per hour to use the spaces.

The Naperville City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday in favor of the fee. The council had discussed charing 75 cents per hour but decided Tuesday to raise that to $1.50, according to a video recap of the Feb. 4 city council meeting

Prior to the vote, the current charing station, which is located in a surface lot located at 44 W. Van Buren, had been free, according to city documents. The city did not charge electric vehicle users in the first year as a way to promote usage of the charing station. 

Councilors said during Tuesday's meeting the 75 cents fee was too low and the $1.50 amount would sway "squatters" from utilizing the parking spots for too long and also said seemed fair since electric vehicle users do not have to pay a road use tax like other motorists who utilize gas-fueled cars. 

The council also approved an additional parking space Tuesday for the charging station surface lot located at 44 W. Van Buren. The city is updating that charging stating from a single- to dual-charging station to allow two vehicles to charge at the same time, according to the city of Naperville city council packet. 

The city council also approved additional parking spaces for electric vehicles at a second dual-charging station that will be installed in the Van Buren Parking Facility, according to city documents. 

The charging stations will accept credit card payments, according to city documents. 

The following rules apply to those utilizing the charging spaces: 

  • A three-hour parking restriction is in place while the vehicle is charging 
  • All electric vehicles in the space must be plugged in and charging 
  • The parking space is for electric vehicle use only, all other vehicles will be towedThe public charging station was provided free to users for the first year in order to collect data on its usage. 
Have you used the city's charging stations? What did you think about the stations? Do you think a $1.50 fee is fair? Tell us in the comments section. 


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