PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — There’s a push in Pflugerville to revamp its obsolete electric charging stations starting with the city-owned chargers at the public library.
Along with these upgrades could come usage fees, a topic discussed during a recent Pflugerville City Council meeting.
There are four electric charging stations at the Pflugerville Public Library. The stations were installed a decade ago, and today, not a single one works.
“Yeah, currently they’re not functioning,” said Jennifer Griswold, Pflugerville Library director. “We do have a number of people that use them, and we can track the usage.”
Usage has declined over the years as has the reliability. Griswold said the warranty is also up on the EV stations, so this may come down to replacing the four stations altogether.
“We went looking for a grant that would fund the alternative fuel source for Pflugerville,” said Griswold.
Electric Vehicle charging stations in Pflugerville (KXAN Photo/Kaitlyn Karmout) 
Electric Vehicle charging stations in Pflugerville (KXAN Photo/Kaitlyn Karmout)
Turns out, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has a program called the Alternative Fueling Facilities Program.
“We’re able to fund up to 50% of the cost to purchase that equipment and install it on site,” said Nate Hickman, TCEQ grant specialist.
Hickman said this year, Round Rock, Austin ISD and Capital Metro applied for the grants.
Some City of Pflugerville council members raised some concerns, however, over what role the city should play in supplying this infrastructure.
“I think the transition is entirely subsidized by various funds and various policies are at play,” said Deputy City Manager Trey Fletcher. “The question is, what role does the city have in making that infrastructure available to the public?”
Right now, the city doesn’t charge usage fees for these stations, but that is something council is considering.
The City of Pflugerville is looking to get a little over $10,000 from TCEQ, which could could help fund roughly half of the station repairs.
The city also owns stations north of Pflugerville at the Stone Hill Shopping Center. Those are in need of replacement, but council held off on approving funds for that program until all sources of funding are looked at.
TCEQ also has rebates available for individuals looking to buy an electric vehicle. According to Hickman, individuals can get up to $2,000 in rebates if they buy an EV in Texas.
There is also a federal tax credit where users can get up to $7,500 for EV cars or plug-in hybrid cars.
