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.

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.

Electric vehicle charging now advertised at Bethesda-Elm Parking Garage 57

Montgomery County has added a sign to the digital "spaces available" sign outside the Bethesda-Elm Garage 57 at Bethesda Row. It advertises electric vehicle charging available inside the garage. The County Department of Transportation website currently indicates there are two charging stations available at this garage.

Amazon Fresh installing EV chargers at Chevy Chase store (Photos)

The latest addition to the new Amazon Fresh grocery store opening soon at the Collection at Chevy Chase in Friendship Heights was installed Thursday. Electric vehicle charging stations with designated EV parking spaces are now in place. 

The chargers are by Volta, and will be free to use while shopping. To further underline that spaces around the store are for Amazon Fresh shoppers only, those parking spaces are now being marked as such with paint. Parking for Amazon Fresh will be free for 2 hours.

New EV chargers to be added at Park Potomac

Four new electric vehicle (EV) chargers are expected to be added to the Park Potomac development in the coming months. The chargers will be located by the Harris Teeter grocery store. Right off an interchange with I-270, Park Potomac is a prime location along a busy interstate for EV infrastructure.

Collection at Chevy Chase to add electric vehicle charging stations

The Collection at Chevy Chase will be adding electric vehicle charging stations to its property at 5463 Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights. Two charging stations will be constructed.

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.

Tesla Supercharger station now online at Pike & Rose

A new Tesla Supercharger station has now been activated in the Trade Street garage at Pike & Rose. The Federal Realty property's garage was already doing its part for the environment with the largest solar canopy on a retail garage in the state of Maryland. Now multiple stalls are available on garage Level P6 for Tesla owners to recharge while shopping, dining, or taking in a movie at Pike & Rose.

This Supercharger site is also is one more dot on the nationwide network of Tesla charging stations, a network that surpasses any of the automotive company's electric rivals in the industry. Only one Tesla owner was taking advantage of the new Supercharger last evening, but expect that to increase as the word gets out. I look forward to plugging in my Cybertruck here someday.

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.

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.