Rhinebeck raises EV charging fee to $0.38 per kWh to cover costs

Trustees approved raising the public price for level‑2 electric vehicle charging to $0.38 per kilowatt hour to move the village chargers toward cost recovery.

Staff presented annual usage of roughly 45,000 kWh, explained three‑quarters of consumption is on a demand meter that carries higher utility rates, and outlined fixed platform and maintenance costs (cloud service about $370 per port per year and maintenance about $600 per station per year). Staff said the combined annual expense — electricity, cloud licensing and station maintenance/server costs — approaches $17,000, which implies a break‑even price near $0.37–$0.38 per kWh.

Trustees debated whether such a rate might deter use; supporters said it is necessary to avoid ongoing subsidies (the village had lost about $6,000 last year subsidizing charging). The board voted to set the rate at $0.38 per kWh to take effect when staff implements the change (trustees discussed a May 1 start, with staff executing the configuration and signage).

The board instructed staff to post rate changes in the station app and on signage and to re‑evaluate pricing after a monitoring period.