Waymo robotaxi charging at Westbard Square in Bethesda during DC test phase (Photos)

A Waymo robotaxi was spotted charging in the parking garage at Westbard Square at 5400 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda last night. It was using the EVgo fast-charging system. Waymo's self-driving Jaguar robotaxis are not yet allowed to operate in Montgomery County or Washington, D.C. without a Waymo technician at the controls. The company is testing the vehicles in the District right now, for a proposed launch of autonomous service within the borders of D.C. next year. That can only happen if the D.C. City Council passes a bill allowing driverless vehicles to operate in the City. Such a bill is now before the Council.

Two more EV-charging stations to be added to Westbard Square garage

Plans to have four electric vehicle charging stations in the Phase 1 parking garage at Westbard Square in Bethesda were announced two years ago. Two additional vehicle charging spaces will now be added on the second level of the garage, which is located at 5400 Westbard Avenue. The building's second floor tenants are primarily administrative (including property owner Regency Centers' own offices) and professional (healthcare) or educational (Kumon Math & Reading Center) in nature. Anchor tenant Giant has the top floor, where it will open its newest grocery store January 26, and retail spaces on the ground level are filling up at an increasing pace.

The Palisades touts public EV charging station in Bethesda

"PARK HERE," beckons the sign on a quiet, out-of-the-way street in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle neighborhood. It sits outside the parking garage of The Palisades apartments at 4835 Cordell Avenue, but on the rear side of the building on Del Ray Avenue. A total of three signs posted around the garage entrance promote a public EV charging station located inside the garage. The Palisades has a history of being ahead of the curve, being one of the few buildings in the region that boasts a backup electricity generation system that activates during power outages.

New EV charging stations now operational at Cordell-St. Elmo garage in Bethesda

New electric vehicle charging stations at the Cordell-St. Elmo Public Parking Garage 40 at 4935 St. Elmo Avenue in Bethesda are now operational. Installation of the charging stations began in October. The 4-hour parking spaces are on Level 1, and are for use by electric vehicles only. The stations are NovaCharge units branded with the Pepco logo, and are operated via the downloadable Greenlots app.

EV charging stations installation update at Cordell-St. Elmo Garage 40 in Bethesda (Photos)

The actual charging units are now being installed in the new electric vehicle charging spaces in the Cordell-St. Elmo Public Parking Garage 40 at 4935 St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. They are branded as Pepco-Exelon, but are NovaCharge chargers. EV drivers will operate them using the Greenlots app on their phones.

Cordell-St. Elmo Garage 40 charging station installation update (Photos)

Here's a look at the progress on the installation of new electric vehicle charging stations in the Montgomery County Cordell-St. Elmo Public Parking Garage 40 at 4935 St. Elmo Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Poles went in a little less than a week ago. As of yesterday, components of the charging units themselves were being installed atop the poles. There will be a fee to charge your EV at these stations.

EV charging spaces installation underway at Garage 40 in Bethesda (Photos)

The Cordell-St. Elmo Public Parking Garage 40 in downtown Bethesda is staying up-to-date with the times. New electric vehicle charging spaces are being installed at the Montgomery County-owned parking deck, which is located at 4935 St. Elmo Avenue. The garage remains open during the project.

Westbard Square to have electric vehicle charging stations

When the Westbard Square development is completed in 2027, it will be the newest town center development in Montgomery County since Pike & Rose and Downtown Crown opened in 2014. It will feature electric vehicle charging stations even sooner than that. Four charging stations are planned for the Phase 1 Giant building, which has an attached parking garage, now under construction at the Westwood Shopping Center in Bethesda. That building is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

Bethesda Row parking garage to add Tesla Supercharger station

The Colonial Parking-operated garage at Bethesda Row will be adding a Tesla Supercharger station in the months ahead. Located at 4950 Elm Street, the garage will feature 12 Tesla charging posts. When activated, this location will appear on your dashboard touchscreen. Supercharger stations at properties like Bethesda Row allow Tesla owners to quickly charge their vehicle while shopping or dining.

3 Giant stores adding electric vehicle charging stations

Cadillac ELR electric vehicle from
Jim Coleman Bethesda Cadillac

Electric car charging stations continue to multiply at a modest pace across the region. Three local Giant grocery stores are now adding a pair apiece. The new charging stations will be installed in the coming months at the Bethesda Row Giant, the Georgetown Square Giant on Old Georgetown Road, and at the Giant on Tuckerman Lane in the Cabin John Shopping Center.

New EV charging stations planned at Montgomery Mall

Electric vehicle charger at a
Montgomery County Safeway store

Westfield Montgomery Mall is already a popular stop for Tesla owners, who can charge their electric vehicles at the mall's Tesla Supercharger station while dining, shopping, or watching a movie. Now Westfield is adding two more charging stations for electric vehicles this year. Malls, grocery stores, retail properties and town centers have become popular locations to charge vehicles, as ownership of EVs widens.

New electric vehicle charging station in Safeway garage (Photos)

You don't have to wait for the Green New Deal to find new electric vehicle charging stations in downtown Bethesda. Here's a new one that was just installed in the garage underneath the Safeway store at 5000 Bradley Boulevard.

Charge your EV for up to two hours free while shopping at Safeway. The charging station is operated by Volta Charging, which currently has 33 stations across the D.C. region.

Safeway to add free electric vehicle chargers at downtown Bethesda store

Electric vehicle owners in Bethesda may soon have another reason to shop at Safeway. The grocery chain's 5000 Bradley Boulevard store in downtown Bethesda is installing electric vehicle chargers that will allow shoppers to charge up for free. Costs of electricity are covered by digital advertising displayed at the charging stations.

The chargers will be from the San Francisco-based firm Volta. According to the firm, their charging stations are Level 2 chargers with J1772 connector plugs. Volta stations can provide up to 6 kW power delivery. This should provide about 20 free electric miles per hour of charging, depending on your EV model.

Electric car charging stations added to 3 more Bethesda parking garages

Electric vehicle charging stations have been added to three more Montgomery County public parking garages in downtown Bethesda, bringing the number of County garages with such chargers in Bethesda to seven. The latest to add them are the Bethesda-Elm Street, Cordell-St. Elmo and Woodmont-Rugby garages.

The charging stations aren't free; there is a $0.13 per kilowatt hour fee, and EVs must still pay the regular parking fees.

Existing garages that already offered the stations were the Capital Crescent, Woodmont Corner, Waverly and Auburn-Del Ray garages.

UPDATE: Information about parking fees was updated, correcting error due to misleading signs posted in County garage.

Abuse of EV spaces rampant in new Bethesda garage (Photos)

Special Investigative Report

Bethesda is known as a progressive, enlightened and environmentally-conscious town. But that isn't on display beneath its urban streets. Drivers of gasoline vehicles are regularly hogging spaces reserved for electric vehicles (EVs) in the new Capital Crescent Garage at Bethesda and Woodmont Avenues, and enforcement appears lax.

Whoops, Hyundai doesn't
make an EV Tiburon 

BMW and
Honda Accord in
EV spaces Friday
evening

Honda makes EVs, but
this ain't one of them

On Friday evening during the busiest dinner hour, several EV charging spaces were taken up by gas vehicles, ranging from Hyundais to expensive BMWs. Subsequent spot checks turned up the same abuse, including on Monday night, again during the 6:00 PM hour.

Volvo on Monday evening
during dinner hour

Nope, these aren't
EVs 

Neither is this

Nor this

Space after space was available
on lower levels of the 900+ space
garage - over 600, to be exact -
for gasoline-powered vehicles

With over 600 parking spaces available, non-EV drivers were still parking in the limited-but-convenient EV spaces - including a Porsche. The EV spaces were conveniently located as another incentive for choosing alternative fuel vehicles, much like the HOV access EV drivers often enjoy.

Only one offending driver
had been ticketed

Only one vehicle had been ticketed by parking enforcement during the times shown here. With Bethesda having one of the largest percentages of EVs in America, the rampant abuse could mean EV drivers planning to park and charge their vehicle would be blocked out by an ineligible driver.

The Capital Crescent Garage is also known as Public Parking Garage 31, and is operated by Montgomery County Government.