After offering two years of free service, Longmont’s city-owned electric vehicle charging stations will return to a rate of $1 per hour on Aug. 1, Longmont Power & Communications announced today.

Revenue from the charging fee will cover maintenance and operations costs for the five stations as well as allowing Longmont to gradually invest in further electric vehicle infrastructure over time. Last year’s usage, which typically ran between 300 and 400 charging sessions per month, would have generated $12,000 in fees.

LPC first waived the charging fee in August 2019 after replacing its EV stations with newer ChargePoint sites. The intent, LPC executive director Dave Hornbacher said, was to introduce Longmont to the new stations and encourage their use.

“We’ve been pleased to see our residents take advantage of these stations, which is another step towards reducing Longmont’s overall greenhouse gas production and creating a more sustainable community,” Hornbacher said. “This nominal fee will help ensure we can continue to offer this service and even expand it.”

Longmont currently operates five City-owned charging stations, the most recent of which opened in September 2020. These can be found in:

• The 300 East parking lot on Kimbark St, next to the Development Services Center
• The Longmont Museum (400 Quail St.)
• The Longmont Library (409 Fourth Ave.)
• The Longmont Service Center (1100 S. Sherman St.)
• The St. Vrain Memorial Building (700 Longs Peak Ave.)

More information about the chargers can be found online by going to LongmontColorado.gov/lpc.