Today the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination (OEEC) announced five additional communities selected for the Charge Up Fairfax pilot program, an initiative designed to help homeowners and condominium owners associations (HOAs) with installing shared electric vehicle charging stations for residents and their guests.

The selected communities are:

• Colonies at McLean
• Strathmeade Square Community
• Villa Ridge Condominium
• Washington Plaza Cluster Association
• Waterford Square Condominium Unit Owners Association 

The 5 communities selected will receive technical support in the form of a site assessment by an engineering firm. If the community decides to proceed with the purchase and installation of Level 2 electric vehicle charging station(s), they will hire a contractor to perform the necessary permitting, electrical upgrades, installation and final inspection. Once the EV charger is operational, the community can seek a grant from OEEC to partially reimburse the cost of the installation – up to $10,000 for some communities.

“We’re pleased that these communities are pursuing a clean energy future with electric vehicle infrastructure,” said OEEC Acting Director John Morrill. “With today’s announcement, we encourage other community associations to make plans to apply to Charge Up Fairfax when the application period opens again in spring 2024.”

Electric vehicles, or EVs, are better for the environment and less expensive to fuel and maintain than gas-powered vehicles. Rebate and incentive programs for the purchase of EVs – including federal tax credits of up to $7,500 – are reducing the cost and driving up demand. By 2030, EVs are expected to represent 40 to 50% of total passenger car sales.

The convenience of at-home charging makes EV ownership more practical, but that can be a barrier for residents of community associations who may not access to a private driveway or garage where they can easily plug in. Charge Up Fairfax helps address this gap for these common-interest communities, which can include HOAs, multi-family condo buildings, clusters or townhome communities.

OEEC is already working with five other HOAs selected earlier in 2023 and will use insights and lessons learned from the pilot phase to refine the program for a broader launch next year.

More information about the Charge Up Fairfax program is available on the OEEC website.