Between federal tax credits, exemption from vehicle excise taxes, HOV lane use, and free parking, hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) have enjoyed some pretty awesome perks. However, as Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and other cities begin to shelve existing bonuses, consumers are slowly accepting that the glory days are coming to an end.
Effective March 1st, parking rates at LAX will apply to everyone, though using any of the 38 electric charging stations will continue to be free. For many of Los Angeles’s frequent flyers, it’s a hard pill to swallow. More than a decade has passed since hybrid and EV owners began enjoying free parking for up to 30 days in two of LAX’s short-term lots—and avoiding the crazy $30 per day parking rate. Eric Wilson described his experience at LAX in an earlier post:
“As I stepped into the parking garage at LAX on a recent visit to my parents, I was momentarily taken back in time. The prime parking spaces were all charging spots, much like the mid-1990s. There in the first two rows I saw about a half dozen Nissan Leafs plugged in (or in some cases just parked in the spots, which are located closest to the passenger pick-up). Next to the line of Leafs was a Tesla Roadster. After I turned the corner, I saw another Tesla.”
One EV owner told the Wall Street Journal that free parking at LAX “was a huge reason why I bought the car in the first place.” In 2008, drivers in London expressed the same sentiment after the city suddenly cancelled its free parking program after deeming it a success.
Now that hybrids and EVs are more commonplace, offering free parking is becoming less feasible. At LAX, hybrid and EV parking is plentiful but open charging stations are hard to come by. The WSJ reported that EV drivers get especially annoyed when plug-in hybrids are hogging charging units for weeks at a time. The incentives are also raising concerns over revenue. LAX has already calculated that its parking system will eventually be financially unsustainable, saying it would cost the airport $44 million per year in an absolute worst case scenario.
While the loss of free parking privileges is a hit to current and prospective EV owners, it is a sign that the industry is getting on its feet. However, talk over revenue begs another question: when will free charging come to an end? How much would you pay?
Image by jennmae on Flickr
