New pilot program installing 16 electric vehicle chargers across the District

The District Department of Transportation is launching a pilot program to install 16 electric vehicle chargers curbside across the city.

The chargers are being installed by electric vehicle charging company It’s Electric, which will also operate and maintain the chargers once they are up and running.

There will be one location with the new chargers in each ward. Each location will have two chargers and each charger will serve a parking spot next to it, city transportation officials said Tuesday.

The chargers are “level 2,” which means they operate with higher alternating current voltage and can charge cars faster than a “level 1” charger. A level 2 charger can bring a fully electric battery-powered vehicle from empty to 80% charged in four to 10 hours and can fully recharge a plug-in hybrid in one to two hours, according to the federal Department of Transportation.

City transportation officials said that drivers will have to bring their own level 2 charging cables in order to use the curbside chargers.

The first of the chargers is already up and running near the Festival Center in the 1600 block of Columbia Road NW. The pilot program is federally funded and is meant to help advance the city’s goals of being carbon neutral by 2045.

“By launching this pilot, DDOT is leading the way in innovation by testing curbside EV charging and sharing best practices with cities across the country,” said District Department of Transportation Director Sharon Kershbaum.