​WHEATON, Md. – Montgomery Parks and Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and Pepco have joined together to provide more charging opportunities for local, regional and visiting electric vehicle (EV) owners. As part of the partnership, Pepco will install 94 new electric vehicle (EV) chargers in 26 parks across the two Maryland counties over the next two years.

"We are so excited about this collaboration with Pepco, which will allow electric vehicle owners to charge their vehicles while enjoying our parks. Expanding access to electric vehicle charging stations is yet another way the parks department is helping support a more sustainable future," said Mike Riley, director of Montgomery Parks. 

"This program will allow the Department to support sustainability efforts in the region and Prince George's County. We are excited to begin charger locations installation in the spring/summer of 2022," stated Bill Tyler, director of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation. "This will help meet the future demand of EV users at our facilities."

The installation of these chargers will help further the individual climate goals of both Montgomery and Prince George's counties, and also supports the state of Maryland's broader climate goal of reaching a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (from 2006 levels). This project is also a part of Pepco's Maryland Climate Commitment, which includes efforts to equitably advance EV and clean energy opportunities for customers, while achieving carbon neutrality for company operations by 2050.

Construction of the first EV charging spaces in Montgomery Parks will begin in March and is expected to take about eight weeks to complete. Initial locations include Argyle Local Park, Olney Manor Recreational Park, Wheaton Forest Local Park, and South Germantown Adventure Playground. Pepco's sister utility, BGE, is also installing four charging stations at Fairland Park.

Construction of the first EV charging stations in Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation parks began this month and will take about two months to complete. Initial locations include Harmony Hall Regional Center, Kentland Community Center, Lake Arbor Community Center, Peppermill Village Community Center, Prince George's County Plaza Community Center, Tanglewood Community Center, Langley Park Community Center, North Barnaby Splash Park. Residents can follow the installation timeline at pgparks.com.  

The charging stations will be available to the public at the following rates: Level 2 chargers - $0.18 per Kilowatt-hour (kWh); DC Fast Chargers - $0.34 per kWh (includes tax). Use of these charging stations will be monitored by the counties to determine the possibility of adding more charging stations in the future.

"We know our customers and communities are becoming increasingly interested in cleaner and more efficient forms of transportation, including electric vehicles," said Donna Cooper, Pepco region president. "We are excited about this partnership with Montgomery and Prince George's Counties and continuing our support in developing a robust and accessible public EV charging network across Maryland, with equity and inclusion being a priority. We are working hard to advance a reliable energy platform that connects our communities and supports the climate goals of the regions we serve as well as our broader mission to power a cleaner and brighter future."

In addition to this partnership, Pepco has also pledged to install 250 EV charging stations across Maryland. To date, the company has installed 56 charging stations, including both Level 2 and DC Fast chargers. For more information about this work and other EV tools and resources provided by Pepco, customers can visit the company's EVsmart website.