Hanover Man Poised to Gain Power from Annapolis

Doug Kornreich of Hanover has had challenges filling up his vehicle, and it's not because of high gas prices.

Gas-fueled vehicles have been parking in front of the charging station where he hooks up his Nissan LEAF.

"...if I can't park in one of those spots, it's going to be a challenge for me to get home," said Kornreich.

Access to electric charging stations is necessary for LEAF owners to get from place to place efficiently. And Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, feels so strongly about Marylanders having this access that he has proposed a bill which would fine people for parking non-plug-in vehicles at electric charging stations.

Raskin said it is important to show that Maryland is friendly to the burgeoning electric car industry, which could bring business to the state down the road.

"This is a fledgling industry that we're getting behind," Raskin said. "And we're hoping, as the president of the United States has said, that this becomes big business in America...this is a very small gesture of accommodation."

Howard County has joined the "charge" of those supporting electric vehicles. The county sheriff’s office and the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits have one 2012 Nissan LEAF apiece, which can run about 100 miles per charge.

Howard County charges its vehicles at the Thomas Dorsey Building in Columbia, with a charging station provided by a Maryland Energy Administration grant. It is free for employees and residents of Howard County.

"When I've gone to the Dorsey Building, there hasn't been a wait," said Kornreich. "They have five chargers, of which county vehicles are usually using two." He said that in Maple Lawn, there's a location with six chargers.

"However, there are locations where it can be a problem," said Kornreich. "For me, that has been at the Walgreens near my office" at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Woodlawn.

"People have blocked the charging station and I haven't been able to get access," said Kornreich.

Citizens have a right to charge their vehicles at a charging station the same way other car owners have the right to fuel up at a gas station, said Raskin.

"They need to charge up their vehicles by plugging them in, and the problem is they're pulling into the relative handful of places that exist in the state where you can plug your car in, and people are parked there," said Raskin.

Prohibiting cars that run solely on gas from parking at electric vehicle charging stations is elitist, according to Maryland Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-Cecil.

"I think the idea we're going to create a preferential class for expensive vehicles is wrong," argued Pipkin. "We're using the power of the state to further one particular private business. I think that is not appropriate."

The Senate is poised to vote in favor of the bill that would do just that.

Even so, not everyone is convinced the measure would be effective.

"I'm not naive enough to think that there's going to be any real enforcement.  We've seen this with handicapped spaces. My son has difficulty walking and so we have a handicapped tag for him. But people park in the handicapped spaces without tags regularly," said Kornreich. "The signs indicate large fines, but the owners of the stores won't do any enforcement; they just tell you to call the police. So you call the police and nothing happens."

Kornreich added: "But it would be nice if there were a clear indication that the [electric car] spots were reserved and hopefully people would respect that."

Capital News Service and Patch editor Brian Hooks contributed to this report.